GBAPS Students Recognized at MLK Celebration

Several Green Bay Area Public School District students and staff were recognized at the 31th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Saturday, January 17, 2026. This year’s theme was “Dare to Dream: The Power of Hope and Action.”

Students submitted art work and written works for the annual poster, essay and poetry contest. 

K-3rd Grade Awards

3rd Place - Melanie Dominguez, Jackson Elementary School (artwork)

Honorable Mention - Mithran Arun Kumar, Leonardo da Vinci School for Gifted Learners (artwork)

4-6 Grade Awards

2nd Place - Olivia Pearl Marshall, Franklin Middle School (essay)

...MLK is my personal idol. To think, he risked his life for us! He presented
how every skin color should be accepted. And now that's how we are
here today, many of his actions helped us to get to the time we are now.
Our world is slowly turning with love, and fairness. In the situation we
are now with our president may not be as fair, but we know what's
correct and we can fix it together, as a community. We all just need to
raise our voices, with positive sound...

3rd - Lutessa Treder, Northeast Wisconsin School of Innovation (artwork)

7-9 Grade Awards

1st - Valeria Ceja Escamilla, Edison Middle School (artwork)

2nd - Sola Indigo Newton-Sallmann, Leonardo da Vinci School for Gifted Learners (poem)

Dare To Dream: The Power Of Hope And Action

The higher that one climbs,
The farther one can fall.
But in these pressing times,
We have to risk it all.
For the slight chance to gain,
Some knowledge for our world.
We'll work hard to attain,
Truth to fight hate unfurled.
Hold hands with your neighbor,
And whisper in their ear.
"Move on from how things were,"
And see what we've got here."
We've got a chance to be,
Much better than before.
The world we want to see,
Is opening its door.
Stand tall on solid ground,
United against hate.
Make our voices one sound,
And work towards our own fate.
What message do you hold?
Your truth to tell us all.
Shout it out and be bold,
We'll catch you when you fall.
I will write my message,
But need help it would seem.
To break out from its cage,
My message needs a team.
Hold hands with your neighbor,
And whisper in their ear,
"So what will you stand for,
With the future this near?"

3rd - Arianna Schinker, Edison Middle School (essay)

...Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't
walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving." But this can be extremely
hard for victims of bullying. That's why we need to put a stop to bullying, we need to add
resources and have more severe punishments for bullying. I wrote this essay, not because my
AVID teacher told me too, but for this to be the first step to put an end to bullying in our
community and make our community safer. This is my dream, this is my hope, and it's time to
take action for our community, to make it a safer place!

10-12 Grade Awards

2nd - Annabelle Porter, Preble High School (essay)

Martin Luther King Jr. paved the way for the youth, now it's time for us to return the

favor. Numerous people acknowledge King's lionized March on Washington but overlook his

other achievements. King was a very humble and compassionate man. He gave to thousands of

people in need through his overshadowed Poor People's Campaign. The youth should strive to

follow in Martin Luther King Jr.'s footsteps and desire to be as altruistic as him.

In order to follow in King's footsteps, you don't have to graduate high school at fifteen,

or win a Nobel Prize. The first step is to know his acts, from highly praised to under remembered.

HM - Althea Samantha Balatucan, Preble High School (poem)

The Echoes of a Dream - The Dream That Lives in Me

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dared to dream in a time when hope felt dangerous.
He lifted his voice when silence seemed safer.
He spoke of justice, equality, and love when the world around him tried to drown those ideas out.
His dream was not just a speech; it was a call, a challenge, and a promise for a better future.

And that dream, that hope, still echoes today.
It reaches generations and lands here, with me.
I look at the world around me; I see progress but also problems that still need change.
I see people who feel unseen.
I see voices that feel too small to matter.
I see moments when kindness is needed most but used the least.
Sometimes it feels like dreaming is difficult in a world full of division, pressure, and uncertainty.
I look at the world around me.
I see wars tearing families apart.
I see corruption dim people's hope.
I see a planet crying as storms grow stronger and disasters hit harder.
Yet I still believe hope is not powerless, and action is never pointless.

But even in those moments, I hear the echoes of Dr. King's dream.
Dr. King used his voice to move a nation.
Now I must use mine to move my world.
He dared to dream boldly, and now it is my turn to dream bravely.
His dream lives in history, but it also lives in me.

I dare to dream of classrooms where every student feels welcome.
I dare to dream of a community where differences bring us together instead of pulling us apart.
I dare to dream of speaking up when something is wrong, even if my voice shakes.
Because dreaming is not enough.
Hope must become action.
Change begins when someone decides to do something, even something small.

I can choose kindness.
I can choose courage.
I can choose to stand up instead of stand by.
That is where my dream begins.

I dare to dream - not someday, but today.
I dare to hope - even when the world feels heavy.
I dare to act - because action is what turns dreams into reality.

The echoes of Dr. King's dream guide me forward.
The dream that lived in him now lives in me.

Edison Middle School teacher Karen Navarro Acosta was one of the winners of the "I Have a Dream" Teacher Award. This is given to educators who help honor Dr. King's dream through classroom submissions of student work.