Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Dilworth Middle School
Students in the TEAM UP after school program at Dilworth Middle School in Sparks, NV kicked-off a spring semester project by devoting time on both Saturday, January 9th and Monday, January 18th to design and paint two large banners in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The students are working to generate awareness in their community about bicycle safety for youth traveling to school by bicycle. 
Both days started with a delicious pancake breakfast at Dilworth where students helped to cook and serve the meal. Once everyone had their fill, the sketching and painting began. Students worked on Saturday, January 9 to create the first banner depicting pictures of bicycles and the quote from Dr. King “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve”. Then, on MLK Day, students gathered to commemorate Dr. King and complete the second banner, which has a large drawing of Dr. King, the Dilworth knight’s mascot, and the quote from Dr. King: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend”.
As a way to engage the whole school in this spring semester project, the banners will be displayed both at Dilworth and at elementary schools 
where the students will be teaching bike safety and repair. Work on this project wasn’t exclusive to these two days. During after school lessons in December and early January, students began researching information about Martin Luther King Jr., selecting quotes and sketching pictures for the banners. Through the spring, students will participate in three integrated after school classes focusing on: 1) citizenship and service, 2) bike maintenance and 3) bike safety and personal health. Sierra Nevada Journeys is very excited to see youth taking an initiative to make important community change!
We would like to give a huge thank you to the following students pictured on this page who participated in both days of banner making: Edgar, Cynthia, Jose, and Anthony. And we would also like to thank Mrs. Knecht, Dean and TEAM UP Coordinator at Dilworth, who has devoted a tremendous amount of time to coordinate these events with us and for her consistent dedication to her students.
There are also important community partners who made this event possible. To Home Depot, located at 2955 Northtowne Lane in Reno, thank you for your generous donation of supplies. Thank you very much Youth Service America for the generous financial contribution in support of this service learning project. This material is based upon work supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service under Learn and Serve America Grant No. 09KSADC002. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessairly reflect the official position of the Corporation or the Learn and Serve America Program.
Experiential Educator
Phone: (775) 355-1688
Email: jamie@sierranevadajourneys.org
Background: University of Phoenix- B.S in Elementary Education; work in progress- M. Ed in Teacher Leadership.
Something you should know about me:
I was first introduced to Sierra Nevada Journeys as an undergraduate student. I participated in several workshops during my time as a student. After graduation I was hired to work on our campus in Portola, CA. At the end of the summer I joined the staff in the Reno office as an Experiential Educator. I enjoy working with SNJ for the opportunity to work with a variety of student populations and the chance to teach curriculum focusing on scientific concepts. The work environment is always positive and encouraging. My role at SNJ is providing me with numerous opportunities and tools to accomplish my personal and
caeegoals.