Georgia College & State University (GCSU) honored local students on Jan. 12 at its 2024 King’s Day Breakfast Celebration.
The community was invited to honor these students and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. while enjoying a range of festivities and creations. The honored students were the winners of a contest hosted by GCSU’s Office of Inclusive Excellence and Collaborative Partners.
The contest included both art and narrative creations. The overall theme was Forget Us Not: A Path to Love, though each grade was asked to consider a specific concept. Kindergarten through fifth-grade students submitted artwork demonstrating how “love makes the world a better place.”
Sixth through eighth grade submitted poems or essays to describe the concept of “We can all learn to love by loving.” Ninth through 12th grade students submitted poems or essays on the concept that “love is a bridge.”
“Love is an action and is a starting point of engagement with others. When you encapsulate love in terms of how you feel with each other, it directs how you interact with all human beings, so it is important to understand,” said Dr. Michael Snowden, chief diversity officer at Georgia College & State University.
According to Snowden, this annual competition is one way that GCSU connects to the community and honors Martin Luther King Jr. Day each year. A committee of GCSU staff, faculty, and community partners began meeting in October to decide the theme and how the contest would function.
“We went to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and considered the theme that they do but it’s very long, so we determined through discussions the theme of ‘A Path to Love,’” said Snowden. “We thought it would capture what we wanted to present to the community, as what we believed is a viable reason to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.”
Letters with information about the contest were sent out in mid-October and the deadline for submissions was shortly after Thanksgiving. While Snowden remarked that submission numbers were lower this year, he emphasized that the quality of work was satisfactory, and it was obvious that students put their thoughts and feelings into each submission.
“It was not as many this year, but this is the first year that I have hosted the contest and I think it went well considering that,” said Snowden. “Discussion of possible changes and improvements for the future have already begun and we look forward to hosting it again next year.” Two judges reviewed the material submitted and selected winners honored at the breakfast.
Each winner received a certificate for their hard work and had a chance to read their essay or display their art at the community event. Winners included Lakeview Primary students Austin Guyton and Theresa Karashay for the K-2 art contest, Lakeview Academy student Amira Jackson for the 3-5 art contest, Veera Puri for the middle school essay contest, and Destini Morris for the high school essay contest.
The winning art pieces were displayed at the back of the Magnolia Ballroom for the community to view. Then, during the morning ceremony, Puri read her poem “To Be Loved By Your Community” and Morris read her essay “How I Want to be Loved in My Community” to the audience gathered.
“The connection to the community and supporting the work of our youth is the most important aspect of the contest,” said Snowden. “We’re thankful for all the hard work that was put into planning and for each student who participated this year.”