As the week comes to a end, AACPS Student Voice reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, which was honored this past Monday, and how Black Student Unions around AACPS uphold his mission.
2 days ago, AACPS Student Voice
The Power of Dreaming - Building Community. Student Voices on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Written By: Gloria Owolabi
Earlier this week, on January 19th, we observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist and a pastor, best known for his use of and advocacy for the use of civil disobedience during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He fought for voter's rights, worker's rights, and more, and spoke for equality for all regardless of race, as shown in his "I Have a Dream" speech.
I know that we celebrated the holiday for Dr. King at the beginning of the week, but after reflecting, I couldn’t let the week end without sharing some student insight on how impactful the holiday is to today's students. I think it's been at least two months since I had a real dream. That is, if you only think of the amalgamation of day-thoughts your mind smashes together at night. The ones that make virtually no sense but leave you with chills all the same. Daydreams though? I've had plenty, and even as I write this article, my mind wanders every time I take a step back.
Martin Luther King Jr. 's delivery of his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 is probably one of his most fabled acts of his fight for civil rights. Maybe more so than his Selma to Montgomery March, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, or even his nearly 30 arrests for civil disobedience. But his aspirations and his actions shouldn’t be viewed separately when looking back on his legacy. Martin Luther King Jr. didn't just fantasize about a better, more united future. He, and many others forged it, in a variety of ways. His impact can still be greatly felt, especially in the classroom. One of the many ways AACPS schools strengthen unity is through clubs. With high schools home to many Black Student Unions across the county, Black students and even students of other racial identities are connecting more deeply with one another, and extending that new level of understanding outside of those spaces..
Zora Jakes is a student at Annapolis High School who is a member of one such Black Student Union (BSU), serving as its secretary. When asked to describe the BSU’s mission, she spoke on how it created connections not only between students of different races, but even among the Black community at AHS. She explains, “We get to have all of these good discussions about how our Blackness affects us differently and how it affects us in similar ways, and the different ways we view the world. It’s about creating a solid community of people.” These weekly discussions cover a multitude of topics surrounding not only current events, but even the past. From the history of voter suppression, to the growth of African American influence in films, club leaders teach a diverse body of students the nature of the country they live in and its effect on the people they are surrounded by every day. But discussions are not all the BSU does to facilitate this. Over the years, the club has been on many field trips to view exhibitions and performances by Black creatives. They’ve hosted holiday kickbacks for club members to bond with one another, and organized community service projects like Blessing Bags to help others in the Annapolis community. One of the biggest events the BSU hosts, according to Zora, is their annual Black History Month Expo, where student members get to perform, present art, and celebrate together.
In a world constantly overloading us with misfortune, pushing us to disillusionment, it's hard to feel like dreams are worth the time spent. Dreams simply stay dreams without action, but it’s important to remember that action hasn’t stopped. People are working to maintain freedom and opportunity for all. Misfortune persists anyway, but small changes still can and have been made. Just like Dr. King had smaller successes and lots of pushback before the Civil Rights Bill was passed, a BSU can make smaller connections and smaller efforts to create unity in school, that translates into the real world. As Zora puts it while reflecting on Dr. King’s mission, “We should be able to find unity both within our community and outside of it,” And as Dr. King explains in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
www.aacps.org/o/studentvoice/
Writer: Gloria Owolabi Communications Office Apprentice (Writing & Video) Annapolis High School - Apex Arts
Clare is back to talk about how her internship journey is going. She shares about the opportunities she’s had to teach classes and strengthen the ways she helps elementary students connect with and appreciate outdoor education in Anne Arundel County. Clare is from Severna Park High School and interns at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center as part of the Environmental Literacy and Outdoor Education Office. You can check it out using the link below!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT3abTAFSe0/
2 days ago, AACPS Student Voice
Clare Severna Park Intern Insight
Say hello to Miles, a student at Crofton High School. He interns in the AACPS Office of Equity, where he’s gained meaningful experience and new perspectives on advocacy, access, and representation.
In his Intern Insights, Miles shares how the internship has pushed his personal and professional growth and opened doors to unexpected opportunities. You can learn more about his intern insight using the link below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT28diAjTeW/
8 days ago, AACPS Student Voice
Milles Crofton High School Intern Insight
Meet Annika from South River High School. She’s an intern in the AACPS Office of Equity. She is sharing how she’s helping expand the office’s social media reach while contributing to meaningful projects that support equity across the school system. Check out student voice in action in the link before.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT1Km7gkrs_/
8 days ago, AACPS Student Voice
Annika South River Intern Insights

The AACPS Division of Specialized Instruction & Early Intervention Services and Partners for Success presents a webinar on Seasons of Change: Preparing for changes in educational levels from birth - age 21. Come learn about transitions within your child's educational levels, from early intervention through elementary, middle, high, and beyond. Join experts from each level as they share information and insights into the educational journey. 📅Thursday, February 19, 2026, ⏰12:00 pm - 1:00 pm. Register at https://forms.gle/fTfB6oQfpHRvrDWx6

15 days ago, AACPS
Partners for Success Presents Seasons of Change - Preparing for changes in Education Levels from Birth -Age 21 Virtual event February 19, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

🔗View our February 2026 Family Link Newsletter
‣ Dates to Remember
‣ You Belong Here! Family Forum
‣ Family Engagement Tip of the Month
‣ Family Academy Events
‣ Black History Month at your local library
‣ County & community resources
...and more!

19 days ago, AACPS
Family Link Newsletter - puzzle pieces containing images of students, parents, and community members
This is Michelle from Chesapeake High School with Service Learning at AACPS. You can check out her intern insight with the link below!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DS2gNtZFR6-/
about 1 month ago, AACPS Student Voice
Michelle Intern Insights Chesapeake High School
It's Family Academy Friday! Check out the Family Academy Newsletter at https://aacps.edurooms.com/engage/family-academy/newsletters/family-academy-fridays-1-16-26. Visit the Family Academy anytime at www.aacps.org/familyacademy or in Spanish at www.aacps.org/academiafamiliar! #AACPSFamily #BelongGrowSucceed
about 1 month ago, AACPS
Family Academy Fridays! Service Learning
Jacob from Old Mill High School with Design & Print wrap up his month 3. Check it out in the link here!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSux03tFRoS/
about 1 month ago, AACPS Student Voice
Jacob Intern Insight Old Mill Highschool
Zoe took a few minutes to check in with students as we go into the holidays. They talk about the traditions they celebrate and what makes this time of year meaningful to them.
Different traditions, shared moments, and plenty of student voice as we wrap up the season together. You can check it out in the link below!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSc4wTujVia/
about 1 month ago, AACPS Student Voice
Zoe Student Voice
Gloria with Apex Arts / Annapolis Highschool from the Communications Office gives her month 3 end contribution. You can check it out in the link below!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSqKkH-jId3/
about 1 month ago, AACPS Student Voice
Gloria Intern Insight Annapolis Highschool.
Zoe with the Communications Office and Annapolis Highschool / Apex Arts adds her voice to wrap up month 3. You can check it out here.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSpoSXmjD3h/
about 1 month ago, AACPS Student Voice
Zoe Intern Insight Annapolis Highschool
Hello 2026! This new School Sounds ep is with @Official _Perfunctory from Severna Park High School. check it out on AACPS TV YouTube today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c2edpGMWic
about 1 month ago, AACPS Student Voice
School Sounds Severna Park HS
This is Will from Severna Park Highschool with the aacps foundation. You can check it out in the link below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSnl1E-DRqz/
about 1 month ago, AACPS Student Voice
Will Severna Park Intern Insights

Next up for month 3 is Celia from Severna Park High School with the Legal Office. You can check out what she has to say about her month in the link below!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSnDcyQjyF1/

about 1 month ago, AACPS Student Voice
Celia Severna Park Intern Insight

This is from Clare from Severna Park High School with Arlington Echo. You can check it out here https://www.instagram.com/p/DSliuVJjwCh/

about 2 months ago, AACPS Student Voice
Clare Severna Park Intern Insight
As December picks up and final college application deadlines draw near AACPS Student Voice: On the Page sits down with AACPS seniors as they reflect on their last year of high school so far and how college apps have affected them.

#AACPSInterns #BelongGrowSucceed #collegeapplications #studentvoice #senioryear
2 months ago, Demi Bello
AACPS Student Voice: On the Page. The Home Stretch: College Apps and the Race to Graduation. Student Voices on College App Season. Written By: Gloria Owolabi
Seniors! We wanna hear about your wins this month: Feel free to share some of your college acceptances in the comments below!
In the July before my 12th grade year, my apprenticeship mentor told me that junior year would probably be the best year of high school I’d ever have…and that senior year might be the worst. It was on a trip back to the office from a video shoot, and from the backseat I insisted he was wrong and that nothing he said could convince me. My junior year ended only a month ago at that point. Between the stress of AP Classes (note to everyone: NEVER take AP Physics), feeling the true weight of leadership in my extracurriculars, and running myself ragged throughout my internship search, I could never imagine that being the peak of my high school experience. Then I became a senior. And as stubborn as I am, I can’t exactly shake the feeling that maybe my mentor was on to something.
AACPS Senior Connor Schwab puts it like this, “Junior year might be the worst academically, but it doesn’t have college apps, Capstone projects, and graduation requirements…Senior year is as hard as junior year with more stacked on top.” “I feel like a lot of stuff has happened this year,” Bo Pokorski comments. “There’s an expectation to take a lot of APs, and then there’s college stuff, and extracurriculars. Like sports, 3 APs, and college applications were hell at the beginning of the year.” Agreeing with Bo, Delilah Witkowski adds, “I’m taking 4 APs and it’s a lot.” I stepped in the classroom for my final year and suddenly, I was President of one club and in the executive board of several others, I had a novella to write in 3 months for a Capstone project, and wedged into the mix were tasks from the internship I worked so hard to find, and ever-looming threat of life after graduation.
Enter: College Applications. Amidst the tangled web of 12th grade responsibilities, getting out of college application season in one piece is arguably the most daunting. There’s already unshakeable pressure from having to essentially decide the course of your future at 17-18 years old, but with the deadlines, the requirements, the hundreds of forms and essays and talks of finances, it almost seems like the process was never meant to be easy. “There aren't a lot of people actually telling you what to do,” Bo explains. “They tell you what’s supposed to happen and then nobody gives you a timeline so you’re kind of rushing by the end…You’re just walking blind, in the dark, trying to figure things out.”
Common App, FAFSA, CSS Profiles, STARS Records, scholarships. Believe it or not, this is only a few of the college application tools and tasks seniors are responsible for. Each has their own websites, deadlines, and needs that swarm your inbox in droves of requirements. “I hate getting college apps stuff through my email because it’s like a giant swamp of everything.” Connor again. “Not just robotic emails but really important things that you actually need to read so you just get walloped with information overload.”
With December picking up, though, to many it feels like we're reaching the home stretch. Early Action/Decision applicants are starting to receive decisions, and several students have already committed to universities. For others, the final deadlines are drawing near, and whether they're scrambling or simply putting on the final touches, everyone is coming to the same conclusion: soon it'll all be over. And in a way, despite the stress, the thought is rewarding. Connor, who's already received a few decisions, says, “It’s so relieving when you get into one college. Like, you’re really stressed and then you get one good acceptance letter back.” He imitates the sigh of relief that comes afterwards, one that hopefully every senior can breathe once the final submission is in, and when their last class is done, and as they walk the stage at graduation when it's all over.
Read full articles like this on our website: www.aacps.org/o/studentvoice/
Writer: Gloria Owolabi Communications Office Apprentice (Writing & Video) Annapolis High School - Apex Arts
Zoe caught up with some of the Apex Arts seniors to talk about their capstone projects and why they chose them. You can feel the energy now that we’re almost halfway through the year. These seniors are locked in. More student voices coming soon.
3 months ago, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Apex Arts Senior Capstone
And with the last one for the month, Celia from SPHS is back with her Month 2 Intern Insights. She’s getting a real look at how legal teams support the district and solve problems every day. Check out what she had to say!
3 months ago, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Intern Insights Celia month 2
Jacob from Old Mill is up next for Month 2. Working with the Design and Print team, he’s been seeing how graphics, layouts, and printing support schools across AACPS. Check out his update here!
3 months ago, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Intern Insights Jacob month 2