WESTMINSTER, Md. (WJZ)— A group of Carroll County students is honoring the man who lost his life fighting for a dream.

Christie Ileto explains what they’re doing to continue Dr. King’s work.

Nearly 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream Speech,” a group of elementary and middle school students are learning the importance of his message.

“I know about his speech, the  ‘I Have a Dream Speech,’” said Kelsey Pintzew, eighth-grader. “It’s monumental all over.”

“He’s helped African-Americans all over the world,” said another student.

On Monday, 100 Carroll County students celebrated Dr. King’s legacy at McDaniel College.

Children played music from the Civil Rights era, made cards for the elderly in their community and learned how songs played a role during that time.

“They had songs back then that gave them energy and made them move forward,” said Patricia Levroney, event organizer.

The purpose of Monday’s program is to teach students about Dr. King’s role in the Civil Rights movement, his dream of equality and to have students apply the same act of service in their own communities.

“You have to give back to your community. It’s not just about me, but giving back,” Levroney said.

Event organizers say the holiday isn’t really about having a day off,  but it’s about what they call “a day on.”

“For most of us, this is a day off, so we’re giving back to the community,” Levroney said.

It’s a message Colton Gonzales already gets. He wants to start an anti-bullying club at his school.

“I want to continue it into bullying,” Gonzales said. “I have actually been bullied before, and I did not like it at all.”

They have a determination to make a difference and continue the legacy started by Dr. King.

President Barack Obama honored the late Dr. King over the inaugural weekend. He used Dr. King’s Bible to take his oath in office and declared Saturday a day of service.