Last month, the schools in the district held school-wide assemblies and Days of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students from Edgemont visited NJPAC for a presentation on Dr. King. Third grader Harry Jones shared his experiences in an article he wrote about one of his classmates, Niylah Smith, in the school’s “Edgemontzine.”
Niylah was selected as the winner of NJPAC’s Stories of our Past are Keys to the Future poetry contest. Hers was deemed “the most expressive of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior’s legacy” and she read the poem aloud in front of more than 500 of her peers, including her classmates.
“They were swept away on a musical journey where they explored music from the Swing Era, Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights Movement up through current-day hip-hop,” said Principal Cheryl Hopper. “Niylah performed beautifully, and along with the audience applause, she received well-deserved cheers from her fellow Edgemont students. It was a great day!!”
Following the event at NJPAC, Edgemont students had the opportunity to meet with the performers.