Martin Luther King Jr. was a famous human rights activist who stood up for the equal treatment of African American citizens in the United States in the 50s and 60s. Unfortunately, April 6, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was tragically shot in the jaw and died upon arrival to the hospital. Acknowledging his impact on America, President Ronald Reagan made a bill stating, every third Monday of January is to be celebrated as MLK Jr. day. 

Some schools acknowledge what he did for the country and students take the day off of school. 

St. Louis High School did not take this day off this year, and a lot of people have surprisingly the same thoughts on this topic. Some think it doesn’t make any sense why we still have school on this day. I think that our school should celebrate this day because I appreciate what MLK did for America, and I appreciate how he stood up for what he wanted until the end, and he did it respectfully. 

There are some students and staff at SLHS who have their own opinion on this topic as well. 

Sophomore Ben Dousah stated, “It doesn’t make any sense to me. At my old school, we had the day off, and I was thankful for it. What’s the difference here? We had President’s Day off regardless what you want to call it (Mid Winter Break)! MLK was an icon, and if the United States recognizes it is a federal holiday, our school should let us have the day off.” 

History teacher Brian Caszatt stated, “I think we should have the day off. I would support that cause all the way.”