Students at Scott Elementary perform a song with ribbon streamers during their annual Black History Program, which was held at the Thomasville Center for the Arts last Thursday. 

THOMASVILLE- Last Thursday, Scott Elementary School held their 23rd Annual Black History Program at the Center for the Arts auditorium and showcased performances by the students, from songs to skits. 

Cleveland Shy, Scott Elementary drama teacher, said that he had been doing this for 23 years and had originally started the program in the cafeteria of the elementary school.

“I have been doing this for 23 years,” he said. “We started at the Scott Elementary School cafeteria, we had our little space in the cafeteria, but then we outgrew that and we had to move into the Center for the Arts auditorium.”

This year’s performance, Shy said, was dedicated to the theme of ’24/7, 365’ and that revolved around the importance of celebrating and remembering Black history throughout the entire year. 

“The theme for this year was ’24/7, 365’ and that was letting people know that we should honor and celebrate Black history 24/7, 365 days a year,” he said. 

According to Shy, the show itself is consistently a variety show, allowing for performances of all types, from the usual songs and dancing to skits and poems read aloud by a group of students. 

“Normally, our show is a variety show,” Shy said. “There is a little bit of everything in what we do. We had two fashion shows, we had a hip-hop fashion show and we had an African fashion show. We also did a segment called ‘The Magic of Motown.’”

Other performances included “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” “Glory,” “Soul Men,” a reading of the poem “Stand Up,” and a skit, “A World Without Black People,” amongst others. 

Shy said that they also had tributes to notable figures in Black history, such as Harriet Tubman. 

“We also did a Harriet Tubman tribute with a song called ‘Stand Up,’” he said. “We also did a dance about freedom.”

The show was dedicated to Jaushuah Laing, a past student who was heavily involved in the Black History Program during his time at Scott Elementary, according to Shy. 

“We dedicated the entire show to him because he was a big part of the program when he was at Scott’s School,” Shy said. 

Shy said that they begin to organize and rehearse for the program in October, making efficient use of their time in getting all the kids involved. 

“We always start in mid-October,” he said. 

Shy said the hard work paid off this year with a wonderful show that many people had commented on. Additionally, the kids were very excited about how it turned out and pumped to put in the work again for the End of the Year Program. 

“Everything was wonderful,” he said. “It couldn’t have been better, people have made comments that this was one of our best shows, that it was the best show. It was a fantastic show!”

Originally organizing the program to help kids learn about Black history, Shy said that it did his heart good to see the kids showing off their hard work on stage while honoring their culture.

“It does my heart good to just see them on stage, just showing their talent and just shining,” he said.