Sankofa performance cancelled

The annual Black History Month performance sponsored by Sankofa has been cancelled. The show is usually held during the month of February. Sankofa is one of the many clubs here at Blair, and it focuses on tracing the past and learning from our roots. This is the first year that the Blair community will not be able to enjoy the show.

According to the club sponsor, science teacher Summer Roark, the performance was cancelled because all of the dates on the master calendar were already occupied. The earliest date available for the show would be sometime in April, and administration was also concerned about having the show in May because many students will be taking High School Assessments. Roark is also busy teaching her classes and managing other school activities. After weeks of deliberation, Roark made the decision to cancel the show altogether. "[The show] really should be in February; it's a Black History Month performance," said Roark.

The club members sacrificed a lot of time to begin preparations for the show, only to find out that they would not be able to perform. According to senior Lisa Howe, a member of Sankofa, the club members met every Thursday and made plans for the theme of the show, organized different scenes, broke up into groups and began choreography. "It's especially hard for seniors because this is our last year. It was so good last year that we wanted to do it again," said Howe.

The Sankofa performance is highly anticipated by many students every year. Students are very upset that the show has been cancelled. "It's horrible. I was looking forward to watching it, and now I can't," said senior Rachel Bowles.

According to Howe, it is possible that a small banquet will be held for all Sankofa members to compensate for the cancelled performance. The show may return to Blair next year.