Burke seventh-grader sees new hope in Obama inauguration

By Diette Courrégé
The Post and Courier
Tuesday, January 20, 2009



Twelve-year-old Kellan Sass clapped with mild enthusiasm, but his classmates unleashed frenzied cheers after Barack Obama became the nation's first black president.

Outward shows of emotion aren't Kellan's style, but that doesn't mean the historic inauguration ceremony meant less to him.

"I knew in my mind and heart that I was shouting for joy and for Obama," he said. "It was amazing."

Sass, a Burke High seventh-grader, wants to discover a cure for cancer. When he looks at Obama, he thinks his dream is a more realistic possibility.

The school helped Sass and other students mark Tuesday in a special way by hosting a program that included performances by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir and Charleston Development Academy students.

Kellan understood the election's significance. At a recent family gathering, the conversation turned to Obama. Kellan remembered learning about Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. He told his relatives that King's dreams were coming true with Obama.

"It's time for a change," he said, "and change is happening."

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