In recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, students across all divisions gathered in their respective assemblies to explore Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence.

In Lower School, students connected the tools in their SEL toolbox to those used by Dr. King and other changemakers. The Courage Tool—“I have the courage to do the right thing”—was the highlight of the morning.

In Middle School, students examined the Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change, created by The King Center, and explored the role of nonviolent direct action in the context of student-led movements. They studied historic and contemporary examples, including the 1963 Children’s March in Alabama, The White Rose resistance group in WWII Germany, the 2018-2019 School Strike for Climate, and the Water Protectors of Turtle Island, which has been ongoing since 2016.

Upper School students delved into Dr. King’s Six Principles of Nonviolence and their connection to his vision of a Beloved Community. At the conclusion of the assembly, inclusivity board Co-heads Kai V. ’25 and Mira S. ’25 led their peers in a turn-and-talk discussion, reflecting on how nonviolent direct action has been used in historical and modern justice movements and how these strategies could be applied to issues that matter to them today.