11 January 2005

ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CELEBRATION SET
DAY WILL FEATURE USD 501 SUPERINTENDANT WL SAWYER AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER; K-12 CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Topeka, KS – Kansas will host the Governor’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration on Thursday, January 13, 2005 at the State Capitol, 2nd floor Rotunda. This year’s event will feature USD 501 Topeka Superintendent WL Sawyer. The celebration will begin with the traditional symbolic march from the Judicial Center to the Statehouse beginning at 11:00 a.m. The March will be led by the FL Schlagle High School Marching Band from Kansas City, Kansas and the New Dawn Native Dancers from Lawrence, Kansas.

Lt. Governor John Moore will present certificates and awards to the winners of the K-12 theme and poster contests. This year’s theme, “Dreams, the Foundation of Life” was submitted by Allen Barnes, an eleventh grader from Schlagle High School in Kansas City, Kansas. Top Poster Winners are: Madison Nichole Wasko, a fifth grader from Overland Park, Kansas; Chrissy Brandon, a tenth grader from Topeka, Kansas; and Thomas West, a seventh grader from Topeka. Certificates will also be presented to several other students from around the state who won honorable mention for their posters and slogan entries. The winning posters will be on display in the Capitol on the second floor, south corridor.

The Lt. Governor will also present awards to two Kansans who have made extraordinary contibutions to Kansas communities . The awards will be presented to State NAACP President Charles Jean-Baptiste of Kansas City, Kansas and Architect Charles McAffee of Wichita, Kansas.

Sponsoring state agencies include the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, Kansas Advisory Committee on Hispanic Affairs, Kansas Office of Native American Affairs and the Governor’s Office. Corporate sponsors include: The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, JE Dunn Construction Company, Goodyear Tire and rubber Company, Falley’s Inc. Food for Less, Capitol Federal Savings, St. Francis Health Center, Raytheon Aircraft Company, The Security Benefit Group, Hallmark Cards, Sprint, Southwestern Bell Foundation, and The Boeing Company.