Popular R&B singer and entertainer Shaun Milli returned to Strom Thurmond High School (STHS) on Friday, February 24, 2023, to serve as special guest speaker for the school's Black History Month program which filled the new STHS gymnasium with joy and song. Milli, a STHS graduate who attended STHS from 2011-2014 and who has over fifty thousand subscribers on YouTube, implored students to never give up on their dreams.

 

Featured performers included a group of STHS JV cheerleaders, who created a special cheer for Black History month, as well as a student choir that performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.

 

The student choir also gave a heartfelt performance of the song "Stand Up" from the film "Harriet" starring Cynthia Erivo). Soloists were Jessica Johnson, Jordan Chinn, and Mina Allen. Paraprofessional Tammy Johnson also performed the song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”.

 

Special guest Tyriena Williams performed a traditional African folk dance, while student dancers Shamiyah Dawson, Ty'Kirriah Papageorge, and Brianna Papa also performed.

 

Teacher Janelle Clark-Stevens served as faculty advisor for the program.