Sharing Dr. King’s legacy, our kids’ bright future for learning | Our schools

By Calvin J. Watts/For the Reporter

In one amazing week of this month we experienced three very distinct, pivotal and compelling events in the Kent School District – each one uniquely essential to our development as a learning organization.

On Monday, Jan. 16, we celebrated the life and leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As an extraordinary individual in American history and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King helped shape the hearts and minds of global citizens for a future of which we could only dream. King confronted the challenges of racism, poverty, violence and inequality of the law in order to move our country toward its greater potential and the fulfillment of its promise — that all people should be, will be and are, by inalienable right, free.

Dr. King remains an iconic figure of our nation’s past and a key leader in successfully preparing us for our futures.

In fact, the future was also on display Jan. 19. We witnessed hundreds of KSD students and teachers, along with thousands of our community members, who enjoyed the annual Kent School District Tech Expo at ShoWare Center. If Dr. King were present, I can only wonder what reflections he might have while observing students of every race and creed, from countries far and wide, with varied socio-economic backgrounds, and with futures bright and vast. I believe he would see that, while our equity leadership is never ending, his vision, courage and sacrifice have paid significant dividends.

Technology in education is so much more than toys and games. Our technology infrastructure has become a viable means of production and communication for and to our world, and has provided unprecedented access to knowledge and information for each and every learner and leader in our community. The march toward that future Dr. King so eloquently spoke of and so diligently pursued for every child in our great country has many miles left to travel. However, the core values of KSD – equity, excellence, and community – are exhibited in this signature learning event.

The same week ended with the inauguration of a new president. Perhaps no election and transfer of power in our time has been more controversial and this perception makes the peaceful nature of that transfer all the more important. Our nation’s digital access and technological prowess has moved far beyond the confines of the 20th century. Even so, this election has had and will continue to have significant implications in the same civil rights struggles commemorated in Dr. King’s legacy.

Regardless of our political perspectives, let us pause to take stock in the institutions and the potentials of progress. As we bid farewell to our nation’s first African-American president and bring greetings to our new president, let us do so with a renewed hope and recognition of our own rights and responsibilities.

In our schools and in our country, we must maintain our commitment to equity and keep Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy alive. With the growing access to information and impact that our technology allows, we must keep our society focused on a bright and fair future for every citizen.

We must teach our students, our 27,000-plus children, to use the tools and technologies of their day to stand up as Dr. King stood, for justice, for equality, for equity, and for the common good.

The Kent School District mission is successfully preparing all students for their futures. This has truly been a time where our past, present, and futures are begging our sincerest attentions, demanding our determined energies, and depending upon our best efforts.

As I share Dr. King’s legacy leadership, I hope you will share my optimism and determination to create a brighter future for, and share a brighter future with our children.

Calvin J. Watts is superintendent of the Kent School District.