On January 20th, City High will hold classes on Martin Luther King Jr. day for the first time since the establishment of the holiday.

“A day off would be nice, but I probably wouldn’t do anything to celebrate it,” Donald Hill ‘16 said. “Celebrating it like this is probably a better way to get us to care about it.”

Activities for the day consist of an assembly taking place during fifth period for freshman and sophomores, and sixth period for juniors and seniors, a performance by the chamber choir, and various booths set up by different local service organizations where students can sign up to volunteer their time.

The play featured at the assembly will be “Living in White America,” put on by a group of featured players from the University of Iowa.

The school is taking the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life as a very important task.

“Dr. King’s message is so powerful on so many levels,” principal John Bacon said. “To take time to reflect on his teachings and the struggle for civil rights in this country, to try to heed his words, is extremely important.”