PORTLAND — Four King Middle School eighth-graders are preparing to deliver the keynote address to 800 educators at this year’s Expeditionary Learning National Conference in Portland, Ore., on March 19.

Aren Kiladjian, Keyly Martinez, Mohamed Nur and Joanna Quinn presented a dress rehearsal of their multimedia address this morning to a gathering of classmates in the school’s cafeteria.

Their 30-minute presentation highlights a project they did last year as seventh-graders, chronicling the experiences of local people who were involved in the civil rights movement.

Conference organizers are paying for the students’ airfare and accommodations, along with teachers Caitlin LeClair, Karen MacDonald, and David Grant, Principal Mike McCarthy and a parent chaperone.