Jenkintown schools superintendent Jill Takacs recently sent a district-wide letter announcing the cancellation of 2022’s Homecoming Bonfire. The letter states that the bonfire “took students and staff away from the school day to prepare for the event” and cited “significant safety concerns that arose each year, which often resulted in injuries.”

Takacs recommended to the school board that Jenkintown School District begins another tradition in lieu of the bonfire.

The new tradition, Takacs announced in the letter, is a celebration on October 27 at the Jenkintown football stadium, during which senior fall athletes will be introduced, escorted, and “divided into teams for a special athletic skills’ competition highlighting senior players.”

A recent school board work session brought forth community concerns over the cancellation of the decades-old bonfire tradition.

“How can we expect this school to remain the close-knit community that we claim to be so proud of when we have someone cancelling age-old traditions with no discussion and a complete lack of respect for the same people that she is supposed to serve?” a community member asked during the work session.

A mother of a Jenkintown fourth-grader commented, “The bonfire has been one of the nicest events the school has. There’s free apple cider, you play tag with friends while the fire blazes… That’s the mind of a fourth-grader. It’s about the school and about the community, the beauty of the night and smelling the fall air.”

The bonfire has been on pause for the past two years for Covid-related reasons. Time will tell if community support will bring it back.