On Sunday, Jan. 17, Lea Nouger, a 7th grader at Pershing Middle School, created a large heart with the words “I HAVE A DREAM” inside the heart on the fence at Pershing at the corner of Navajo Road and Boulder Lake in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

When Lea was asked about the project, she said, “We did this because sometimes when it is a holiday, people forget the meaning of it. With this big heart on the fence, everyone will see it and be reminded of Martin Luther King Jr. I think it is important to remember Dr. King because he lost his life fighting for the equal rights of Black people. Personally, I think that Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero because he helped make the United States a country with more humanity.

Lea’s mom cut out the big letters of “I HAVE A DREAM.” She and her friends painted the letters in black and then Mrs. Levy, the principal, Mrs. Robe, an English teacher, Mr. Bowman, a math teacher, and a few other parents and students helped tie the letters inside the heart.

The goal was to have people untie a ribbon from the outside of the heart, write a word that symbolized Martin Luther King Jr’s life on the red ribbon, and tie it inside the heart.

“Our hope was that by the end of the week the heart would become filled with red ribbons,” Lea said.

When this article was submitted, there were 152 ribbons placed inside the heart — all with words symbolizing Dr. King.

— Submitted by Lea Nouger