PHOTOS: Fairview Students Celebrate the Life of Martin Luther King Jr.

On Aug 28, 1963 one man had a "dream." From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, he spoke about his dream of ending discrimination to a crowd of over 200,000. What he could not have forseen is that 49 years later, he is still inspiring young and old alike and touching millions with his vision.

Anthony Rodriguez, a kindergartner at Fairview Elementary School in Bloomfield, said he learned how to share and help people from listening to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's speech from almost 50 years ago. The best thing he learned from studying about him this past month was "how everyone is allowed to be in the same classroom, like us."

This past Friday, the 4 kindergarten classes at Fairview performed their 7th MLK program.  Principal Salvatore DeSimone was proud to be witness to them all.

While addressing the packed gym of family and friends, he explained how it was his goal to teach the children why they had off on Monday.

"It is through the eyes of the children that there is so much to learn. Kids can be tolerant and understanding and I just hope they stay that way.  There are so many disagreements in the world and our young people can teach us a big deal," he said.

Several songs like "This Little Light of Mine" were sung with vigor, each child had an opportunity to tell the crowd what their dream was.  Many said they dreamt of being teachers and racecar drivers, or of growing up to be just like their parents like 5 year old Mateo Moreno.  His mother, Janet, was so proud of her son's first performance.  

"It was very emotional," she stated with tears in her eyes.  “He has been singing after dinner for the past two weeks and now believes in his dreams!"

Kindergarten teacher Nicola Catapano believes that the children were very receptive to Dr. King's message. They learned about peace and how to be fair and " really admire" Dr. King.

Clearly his message lives on.