It’s been 54 years since the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. One hundred years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, King came to Washington, D.C. in August 1963 and gave his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. King said, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

It has been 31 years since Martin Luther King Day has been a national holiday. Edgecomb Eddy School, along with students all around the nation, observe the holiday on Monday, Jan. 16. Principal Lisa Clarke said discussions were held in classes about the significance of the day prior to the holiday and a poster of King’s “I Have A Dream Speech” was hung inside the school.

On Jan. 11, the Boothbay Register interviewed 11 Edgecomb Eddy School students about what their future dreams are. Four students expressed interest in nursing. Three wanted to become professional athletes (two football and one basketball). Others are considering acting, logging, carpentry and lobstering and one hopes to become an inventor. Others haven’t thought much about their time beyond school life.

The four future nurses all have parents in the profession. Silas Lehouiller, 10, a fourth grader and his sister, Lila, 5, a kindergartner, have a father who is a nurse. They both think they’d like to become one, too. Silas likes school. He enjoys studying technology and participating in gym class.

“I’ve always been into computers and stuff like that,” he said. “I’m pretty active and have lots of energy so I enjoy gym class, too.”

Lila likes school, but no classes particularly stand out as her favorite. As an adult, Silas would like to make the world a better place to live. He “dreams” about establishing a place for homeless people to live and eat.

The other future nurses are ZieraLei Bercasio, 9, a third grader, and Paige Botts, 9, a fourth grader. ZieraLei likes school and her favorite class is math. She likes the healing aspect of the profession. Her mother is a nurse. “I like that nurses take care of people,” ZieraLei said.

Paige’s mom is also a nurse. She is also interested in her father’s profession as a carpenter. But her dream is becoming an actress. Her interest in acting blossomed last summer. “I got into a really cool theater camp. I did a bunch of shows in front of people, and it really got me into acting,” she said.

If Paige becomes a famous star, she would like to use her fame to help others. “If I do become an actress I’d like to give money to help our nation’s veterans,” she said.

It wasn’t surprising to find out the future professional athletes’ favorite school activity was recess. First grader Alieu Dean, 7, doesn’t have a favorite football team or player. He just has a passion to play the game. Third grader Hayden Rines, 9, plays youth football. He sees a future playing on the defensive side of the ball.

“I like hitting people on the field,” he said. Hayden is also considering following in his father’s footsteps of becoming a lobsterman. “I like going out on the boat, pulling up traps and all that stuff,” he said.

As a third grader, he enjoys math and solving math box page problems and multiplication exercises.

The future pro basketball player is 10-year-old Edison Edgecomb. The lanky fifth grader is a good athlete, according to Clarke. Besides recess, he likes science class, but isn’t fond of math. As an athlete, the fast pace of basketball appeals to him.

“I like the idea of running up and down the court trying to put the ball in the basket. It’s a lot of fun,” he said.

Kindergartner Ethan Clark, 6, likes recess and enjoys spending time in the school library where the librarian reads books to the students. He is especially interested in dinosaurs. His father is a logger and Ethan thinks about becoming one, too. 

“I would sell the wood for money and become rich,” he said. What would Ethan do with all the money he makes in the future? “I’d make a million dollars and go to Hawaii,” Ethan said.

The future logger isn’t worried he doesn’t own a wood lot. “I’m 6. I’m only a kid,” he said.

Fifth grader William Clifford enjoys math and science. He is interested in using his passion for those subjects in becoming an engineer, inventor, or builder.

“I’ve always loved building things,” he said. William also dreams of traveling to far off places. He’d like to visit Alaska and South Africa. He is fascinated by the Alaskan scenery and viewing lions and tigers in the African jungle.

Second grader Charlotte Abello, 7, and first grader Eliza Chase both like school, but haven’t really decided on what they’d like to do in the future. Charlotte is content playing tag with her friends. Eliza enjoys watching movies and playing with her friends.