In response to the Secretary of Education Richard Riley's request for colleges to reach out to young people and motivate them toward college during National College Week, Smith welcomed 35 students from Martin Luther King Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
    A year ago, President Simmons visited the school and answered questions about her own life and the importance of an education. She promised to invite them to visit Smith, and on Tuesday, October 24, that promise was fulfilled. Teachers and members of the D.C. Smith Club, who have been volunteering in urban schools and "adopted" King Elementary as a key project, accompanied 35 MLK students to Northampton.
    When the students arrived, they toured the campus, rehearsed for their concert, had dinner and returned to their hotel. On Wednesday, President Simmons and members of the Smith staff welcomed them at breakfast, after which they presented a rousing choral program for Northampton area elementary school students at Sage Hall.
    Following the concert, all the students attended classes designed by faculty to give them a sense of astronomy, physics (optics and lasers), computer math applications, neuroscience, storytelling, and Caribbean drumming and dance.