With an impending snowstorm on Wednesday, the date of the elementary concert, director Lacee Johnson had a decision to make.
“At the end of the day on Monday, I looked at the weather forecast, and I went to (superintendent) Mr. Brian Phillips, and I said ‘Hmm, this storm might be moving up.’ He asked me if I wanted to fit it in quickly or postpone it to January.”
Not wanting to lose the Christmas magic, Johnson didn’t hesitate to move it up a day.
“I think the kids would be rusty,” she said. “They would lose some of that steam. They were ready for the concert, and I was ready, and it's Christmas music, so we wanted it before Christmas for sure.”
As the concert is far and away the school’s biggest event, Phillips and company sprang into action, getting the word out that night. Johnson squeezed in a dress rehearsal a few hours before showtime.
Everyone’s hard work paid off. The concert took place without a hitch, and the new gym was packed, just like a year ago.
“I was nervous, but I don’t think it kept people from coming,” Johnson said.
The theme of the concert was “Christmas Classics.” First on stage were almost 60 kindergarteners. They performed “Jingle Bells,” “Up on the Housetop,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Waving US flags, the first graders led off with “Yankee Doodle Santa.”
He's a Yankee Doodle Santa! He's a Yankee Doodle through and through!
A real live cousin of ol' Uncle Sam, dressed all in red, white and blue!
Oh, he's a Yankee Doodle hero, spreading all his Christmas joy!
Yankee Doodle came to town to ride upon the reindeer!
Santa's our Yankee Doodle boy!
Appropriate because many of the performers were lacking a pair of incisors, the first graders followed with “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.” They closed with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
The second graders began their set with “O Come, Little Children.” The hymn was accompanied by a drum section (Liam Baker, Braxton Elias, Marcella Gessner, Aiden Holicky, Daphne McCarthy, Connor Nichols, Brock Pearson, Kali Pribyl, Lyla Wargelin, Marlee Weber, Ashlyn Widmer and Jasmine Wolf).
Next was “Silver Bells” with Kaitlyn Borer, Clayton Davis, Lucy McCabe, Brodey Rutz, Rook Warling and Payton Widmer accompanying their classmates with handbells. The second graders concluded with “Frosty the Snowman.”
The third and fourth graders sang “Snowflakes,” Sing the Christmas Joy” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” In the last piece, some of the performers danced off stage.
Featuring soloists Harper Rutz, Andrew Giebel and Clara Hilfer (above), the fifth and sixth graders opened with “Do You Hear What I Hear?” They followed with “Starry Night” and concluded with “Christmas…in About Three Minutes,” a creative medley that weaved together 22 familiar holiday tunes.
As is tradition at Cleveland, the final group led “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Director Lacee Johnson was pleased with the large crowd.
Kindergartners rang bells for their opening number, “Jingle Bells.”
Kindergartners.
Kindergartners.
Kindergartners.
Kindergartners.
Kindergartners.
First graders waived flags for “Yankee Doodle Santa.”
First graders.
First graders.
First graders.
First graders.
First graders.
First graders.
First grader Julie Flowers, left, could relate to the song “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.”
Second graders opened with the hymn “O Come, Little Children.”
Second graders.
Second graders.
Second graders.
The drum corps for “Oh Come, Little Children.”
Drummers.
Second graders.
Second graders.
Bell ringers.
Second graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders.
Third and fourth graders dancing to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
Third and fourth graders dancing to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
Third grader Lucy Smith doing the shimmy.
Third and fourth graders.
Clara Hilfer, Andrew Giebel and Harper Rutz soloed in the fifth and sixth graders rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear.”
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Fifth and sixth graders.
Performers raised the number of each of the 22 tunes in “Christmas…In About Three Minutes.”
Kendra Schipper signals the 16th song in the medley.
Fourth and fifth graders.
The new gym was packed up to the stage area.
In between acts, Erik Hermanson’s Holiday Jazz Band performed its last event of the season.
Just like when Holiday Jazz performed in the mall a day earlier, Santa magically appeared.
Before the concert, cook Nina Williams and Culinary Arts student Jordan Schmidt showed off the cafeteria’s holiday theme “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”