Shrewsbury – Two St. Mary School eighth-graders received the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Essay Award at the recent 27th Annual Worcester County Community Breakfast. The event, held at Quinsigamond Community College, brought together community leaders from a wide range of disciplines. This year's theme was to recognize how King's philosophy of nonviolence can help solve physical and verbal conflicts at school, in the neighborhood or at home.
Keynote speaker, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murphy, was present as St. Mary School's Claire Benested and Lea Murphy accepted the prestigious award for their MLK essays.
Benested illustrated her understanding of King's message when she wrote, “When I act peacefully, I's giving others examples of how to act. Their nonviolent actions will affect others too.”