MLK Day Service at Collinwood High School
On January 18, 2010, fifty students and thirteen teachers from Collinwood High School chose to honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s memory by participating in a “day ON, not a day off.” Joined by City Year corps members, community volunteers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the students and staff of Collinwood painted over 25,000 square feet of hallways and helped Collinwood Principal Deborah D. Moore launch the “Be Like Lebron” campaign, a school-wide initiative to foster teamwork and collective responsibility amongst the students.
Chipped, cracked, and peeling, Collinwood’s blue and gray hallways, last painted in 2002, were beginning to show their age when City Year chose the school as a site for its annual MLK, Jr. Day of Service. General Electric, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, CSX and Home Depot made the project possible by donating over $2,500 worth of paint, supplies, and refreshments. Starting at 1:00 pm in the school auditorium, Tasheianna Hammond and O’Dasha Johnson of City Year began the day’s activities. Quoting Dr. King, Ms. Johnson told over 125 volunteers, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” Following Ms. Johnson, Principal Moore thanked the community for its dedication and challenged the volunteers to continue their support beyond the holiday and invited them to visit Collinwood throughout the school year to see its collective strides forward.
After the introductions, the volunteers split into several different teams and most began to paint throughout the first two floors of the school. Students worked alongside their teachers; current Case Western Reserve University students painted next to local workers. “The volunteers worked hard,” said City Year corps member Brittanny Evans. “There wasn’t any complaining; lots of kids learning to paint; and lots of laughing.” The school cheerleading team shared in the laughter as they took down the trophies in the school’s entranceway and cleaned them.
While most of the walls were painted moonlight grey, volunteers colored one hallway on the first floor, the “Cavs Corridor,” wine and gold as part of Principal Moore’s “Be Like Lebron” campaign. An avid Cavs fan, Principal Moore said, “Lebron [James] impressed me with his sportsmanship and his calm. He takes all this abuse on the court, but he never blows up.” Principal Moore especially noticed these qualities during the Christmas game versus the Los Angeles Lakers. She said, “He rallied his teammates into a huddle. He kept the people around him calm; he kept the people around him safe.” Principal Moore hopes her initiative will foster a sense of teamwork and Mr. James’s unselfishness within the student body. As an example, she notes how Mr. James will give a young player another chance to shoot after a miss on the previous possession. She said, “The students need to learn to pass, not to give up, and realize that we’re all in this together.”
The campaign seeks to “give students another opportunity to show leadership skills that would not be seen usually.” In addition to the wine and gold colored wall, Principal Moore asked two students, Anthony Sanders and Kyshawn Cook, and their teacher, Ms. Denise Denega, to paint a mural of Lebron James. Mr. Sanders said, “At first I was honored.” Mr. Cook said, “It was great to know our school wanted us” to paint the mural. Then, Mr. Sanders and Mr. Cook both realized, “we’d never painted in our life.” Ms. Denega, however, gave the students a crash course in painting with acrylics and joined them on their day off to help with the mural. Also helping with the Cavs Corridor were several members of the Cleveland Cavaliers. J.J. Hickson, Jawad Williams, Danny Green, and Darnell Jackson chatted and painted alongside the students in the afternoon. The visit by the Cavs was a secret to the students and left them excited. An 11th grader, Jalen Gardner McCoy said, “We don’t get to talk to people like that everyday.” A senior, Marvin Roach said, “It was great to talk with them about the season.” After sharing his newfound painting skills with the players, Mr. Cook said, “It was a big excitement to see the Cavs come out and help their community.” After painting, the Cleveland Cavaliers donated four Fathead posters for the walls, after they dried.
Students, volunteers, and corps members agreed that the painting went well. De’shawn Cohen, a Collinwood ninth grader who learned to paint at home, said that the walls “looked boring and dull before, but now that it’s brighter, it will make you want to think more.” Mr. Cook said, “It felt really good to help my school out.” Commenting on the student participation, Principal Moore said, “If the government wants to honor Dr. King by encouraging community service on his birthday, then we should do everything to support that.” In the end, volunteers as well as students expressed their sense of accomplishment. Ms. Evans took pride in spending the time improving the community rather than sitting at home. "I feel more productive,” she said. Mr. McCoy, an 11th grader, summed it up, “The walls have a different effect now. They make me feel more energized.”