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Highland Park students ‘dream’ for a better day
Retired teacher Cheryl Levi (left) of Highland Park and public relations professionarl Audrey Suffrin of Deerfield put up the "We Have a Dream" exhibit at the First Bank of Highland Park. | Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 1, 2013 4:59PM
HIGHLAND PARK — When some North Shore District 112 students were asked to blue-sky the future, as if giving a speech like Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream,” some profound words flowed forth.
Their words and photos have been captured in an exhibit timed to King’s birthday at First Bank of Highland Park, 1835 First Street, Highland Park.
Some youngsters envisioned an end to bullying, fighting, gang-banging and crime.
“I have a dream there would be no more weapons, no more shooting and no more pollution on earth,” wrote Reid J.
Daisy Vicario was one of several students who hoped for an end to homelessness in the Highland Park community.
“I have a dream to help people who don’t have homes and make their lives better,” Vicario, a Northwood Junior High School student, wrote.
Some hoped for a future free of smoking, while others contemplated a time when recycling would become second nature.
“I have a dream that one day there will be more hospitals in Highland Park for people that have dialysis,” noted Estafany Hernandez.
Students from Sherwood Elementary School, Braeside Elementary School, Wayne Thomas Elementary School and Northwood Junior High were invited to contribute ideas for changes they would like to see accomplished in their lifetimes.
“We all have dreams for a better life and a society built on justice and opportunity for all,” reads the introduction to the exhibit.
King once said that “What are you doing for others?” is “life’s most persistent and urgent question.” In that vein, North Shore District 112 and the city of Highland Park are again sponsoring a day of service on the federal holiday in his honor.
This year’s day of service will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 21, at the Highland Park Recreation Center.
