43
First-graders present ‘Holidays Around the World”
Photo
Singing elves, from left, Alexia Stoy, Owen Banko, James Jones and Samantha Misik performed Thursday in a production called “Holidays Around the World.” This is the third year Lloyd Elementary School in Austintown has presented the production.
Photo
Justus Jones sings a Christmas carol during the production. Justus is a student in Amy Bungard’s class and dressed as someone celebrating Christmas in South Africa.
Photo
Santa and his elves marched into the gym at the beginning of the performance of “Holidays Around the World” at Lloyd Elementary School in Austintown. The role of Santa has been played by a first-grader each of the past 30 years.
Photo
Brooke Kusky played the part of Dominick the Donkey, Italy’s version of Rudolph. Ninety-two first graders performed in Thursday’s show.
By Kristine Gill
AUSTINTOWN
Owen Banko tugged on his red and green elf boots as he sat on stage.
“Ow, ow,” said the Lloyd Elementary first-grader as his peers sang behind him.
Owen and the rest of the first-graders at Lloyd performed their “Holidays Around the World” show Thursday for fellow students and their parents.
More than a month of practice prepared the youngsters for their roles, but butterflies still flitted around anxious tummies.
“We had a little bit of stage fright,” said Sarah Mook, 6.
“Yeah, because it’s our first time ... with parents in front of us,” Owen said. “It was weird.”
Students in four first-grade classes learned about how people in China, Italy, Mexico, South Africa and Sweden celebrate Christmas. They combined that knowledge in music class where music teacher Alice Cooley taught them songs and dances to go along with each tradition.
“Everyone gets to participate; everyone gets to dress up,” she said.
Cooley and her children attended Lloyd Elementary. Her grandson will perform in the annual show next year.
Cooley said the students started practicing for the show after Halloween. They spent just one week practicing on stage and learning all the movements. They performed at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday.
“I thought it went OK,” Cooley said of the 2 p.m. performance. “They had better transitions. They’re getting tired now, but when they go home and come back, they’ll be all cranked up.”
There was some yawning and a few blank faces among the singers who performed twice during the school day.
“My voice hurts!” said Ashlee Senvisky, 6.
Parents waved from the crowd, and kids stood on tiptoe to spot their grandparents from across the gym.
During a traditional African dance, students clapped, shuffled and shimmied across stage to the beat of hollow drums and rattles. They wore beads and colorful head scarves as they clapped their hands over their heads, squatted down and clapped near the floor and danced in a big circle on stage.
In South Africa, children leave empty pillowcases at the foot of their beds, and Father Christmas fills them with goodies.
In Mexico, children leave their shoes out Jan. 6, the epiphany, so the Three Wise Men can fill them with loot.
In Sweden, the holiday season begins differently.
“Christmas starts with St. Lucia Day,” said Abigail Faix, 7, who played the role of St. Lucia.
“During Lucia, we walk down ...” she said.
“And go up on stage,” said Matthew Harris, 6, a “star boy” in the production who stood next to Abigail in the dance and waved a star wand.
Both Matthew and Abigail said learning the songs and dances was easy.
But their favorite part?
“All of it,” Matthew said.