Friday, December 23, 2011
By jeanne starmack
campbell
Outside, it didn’t look a lot like Christmas. There wasn’t a snowflake in sight; instead, rain was falling from a gloomy sky.
But in the gym at Campbell Memorial High School on Wednesday morning were all the ingredients for a traditional Christmas scene — little kids, their proud parents, Christmas carols, and finally, Santa and his elves.
It was the big kindergarten-through-second-grade Holiday Music program — so big, it had to be at the high school instead of the elementary school to accommodate all those parents with all those cameras.
They filled the bleachers, while down on the gym floor the kids got ready to put on a show.
If second-graders Jacob Jackson, Zachary Luziano and Noah Stanko were nervous about their upcoming performance, they didn’t show it.
They’d been practicing a lot, they said — actually, since right after Thanksgiving, pointed out elementary school Principal Robert Walls.
“I never practiced at home,” Zachary said — still, he looked cool and composed as he got ready to face that camera-wielding crowd.
Their favorite song, they all quickly agreed, was the big finale for their grade — “Rock ‘n’ Roll Snowman.”
When they performed it, it was easy to see why — not only was the song rockin’, but it came complete with choreography — some bending, some hand-waving, some finger-snapping, a little air-guitar.
With all that mood music, it was hard to feel anything but Christmas spirit by the time Santa made his grand entrance.
Santa was, well, Santa, of course, but pinch-hitting as elves were Campbell 12th-graders Marissa Fiorenza and Stephanie Miranda.
Santa got a lot of high-fives from kids who were really glad to see him, but he managed to distribute a few hugs too — as did the elves.
After the concert the kids had to go back to classes, but they’re now on Christmas break until Jan. 3.
Oh, the weather outside? It didn’t matter. For Campbell Elementary kids Wednesday, Christmas wasn’t missing a beat.