EHS Student News
01/15/21
In this Issue for Students:
- A Message from EHS Leadership Team
- Upcoming: No School
- Become a Peer Educator with Planned Parenthood
- Virtual Entrepreneurship Day
- RCC Blood Drive
- UVM's MLK Virtual Celebration
- Upcoming Yearbook Deadlines
- Speech and Debate Results
A Message from EHS Leadership Team:
Dear Hornet Students,
Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader who challenged systemic racism that continues to affect the lived experiences of millions of Americans. Dr. King successfully led others to use nonviolent protest to bring publicity to major civil rights issues. He worked hard towards a vision of equality and civil rights for all. Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been an annual federal holiday since 1986, and it’s also much more than a day to celebrate an extraordinary leader. It is a day to reflect and to follow the example of Dr. King by getting involved in our communities through service and non-violent action.
In 1983, Coretta Scott King described her vision of how Martin Luther King day should be observed. "The holiday must be substantive as well as symbolic. It must be more than a day of celebration . . . Let this holiday be a day of reflection, a day of teaching nonviolent philosophy and strategy, a day of getting involved in nonviolent action for social and economic progress." (Teaching Tolerance, Do’s and Dont’s of Celebrating MLK Day). Below you will find a list of opportunities to get involved, to provide service to your community, and to reflect and learn.
Service Opportunities
Volunteer Virtually- United Way now has a link to volunteer virtually to help your community. Sterling Volunteers also has virtual service opportunities. Americorp holds a National Day of Service each year on MLK day and has many virtual service opportunities.
Get Involved- in nonviolent action with Vermont’s Peace and Justice Center or Essex Junction’s Voices for Education.
Upcoming Virtual Talks
Bettina Love: "Living a Hip Hop and Abolitionist Life: Resistance, Creativity, Hip Hop Civics Ed, Intersectionality and Black Joy," will educate viewers about racial violence, oppression, intersectional justice, and how to make sustainable community change. Click here for more information.
Isabel Wilkerson: On Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, the University of Wisconsin–Madison will welcome Isabel Wilkerson as the keynote speaker for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium. Wilkerson is the author of “Caste” and “The Warmth of Other Suns,” and she is the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for journalism. Join us to hear Isabel Wilkerson’s discussion on connections and reflections on the messages and life of Dr. King in researching and writing “Caste.” Click here for more information.
Thank you for the care you show for the community as we collectively take time to honor the legacy and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King’s message of equality and justice for all is best honored when it’s embedded in what we all do throughout the year. We appreciate your continued commitment to learning, service, and to the Essex High School community.
Your Leadership Team
Upcoming: No School
Become a Peer Educator with Planned Parenthood!
The PPNE Peer Education Program helps prepare youth ages 14-18 with the knowledge and skills required to act as a sexual health resource for peers. This is a unique leadership opportunity that empowers youth to be agents of positive change for themselves, their peers, and in their communities. Click here to learn more! Want to apply? Applications are due by mid-January to start training in February. Here's a link to the application, or get in touch with Kate Littlefield to talk more (klittlefield@ewsd.org).
Virtual Entrepreneurship Day
RCC Blood Drive
UVM's MLK Virtual Celebration Featuring Dr. Leon McDougle
Upcoming Yearbook Deadlines
Yearbook Personalization - Deadline 1/29
Yearbook Sale of $65 Ends - 1/29
Purchasing a Yearbook - Deadline 2/26
Speech and Debate Results
Congratulations to our Speech and Debate team for another great showing.
- Fatima Khan - 1st place in Original Oratory
- Alex Katnelson - 2nd place in Extemp
- Catherine Colley - 2nd Place Poetry
- Fatima Khan - 3rd Place Poetry
- Catherine Colley - 3rd place prose
Strong performances by Tanisha Gerg and Jesse Roberts both in Prose & Impromptu boosted Essex High School's team score for overall 2nd Place.
Do you have an announcement?
Do you Have an Announcement or an Invitation you would like to share with all students?
Email Arielle Boutwell (aboutwell@ewsd.org) or Paul Adams (padams@ewsd.org)