Students write dream speeches in honor of Black History Month

A dream in sleep is a fantasy in the making; a dream on paper is no longer a dream, but a goal. Freshman Nicole Gothard has big dreams for society’s future. In fact, her “dreams” sound similar to Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s.

Gothard is an English I student. For Black History Month this year, Mrs. Megan Maxwell’s class celebrated by writing their own versions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s original “I Have a Dream” speech.

“I enjoy assigning this project because it gives our students perspective on society today and where it should in future generations,” Mrs. Maxwell said.

After getting first exposure to Mr. King, Gothard and the rest of her class wrote their very own speeches.

“I have many goals set for my life and what I want to see change in those around me,” is the first sentence of Gothard’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Gothard’s essay discusses her dream of getting into college and making a positive change in the world through her art. Gothard also writes that she would like to see the people around her being respectful and good to others.

“I’ve never actually read or heard the original speech until this week,” Gothard said.

Gothard’s speech, and other speeches written by her peers, can be read in the library window throughout February. The entire class made a positive tribute to the cause of changing the future for the better with their own personalized speeches.

“I am glad that I got to hear the speech because I learned a lot about the time period and about how smart [Mr. King] was,” Gothard said.