On Thursday, January 13, Community High School held its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day assembly at St. Andrew’s. The assembly was coordinated by the Black Student Union (BSU) with new advisor Janelle Johnson. The BSU continued the theme from last year: service. Students spoke about community service and ways to get involved on MLK Day. Several students read inspiring poems by Langston Hughes and shared their thoughts on service.

The big surprise of the assembly came when Rosie Sullivan, a CHS senior, stood up and began singing “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. Everyone, including the students conducting the assembly, seemed surprise. Sullivan continued to sing and was later joined by Bradie Connor, Gil Eisbruch, and several staff members. This was part of Dean Jen Hein’s idea to surprise the students with a sentimental “flash mob”. She picked the song because of the message it sent and kept the plan a secret. She only told a few students and staff members to begin singing, hoping that others would join in.

At first, the student body seemed hesitant and uncomfortable. However, by the second verse, several students rose from their seats and joined the singing. Eventually, almost everyone sang in unison to “Lean on Me”, creating a warm and joyous atmosphere.

Watch a video of the flash mob below:
[quicktime]http://the-communicator.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/MLK-FINAl_0001.mov[/quicktime]