WOODLAND, Maine — Woodland Consolidated School recently celebrated a busy holiday season.
The festivities began Nov. 22 with a Thanksgiving holiday concert featuring the PreK through fourth-grade students. Music Director Jennifer Holmes brought students together to perform songs to share with the community. Pre-K students sang “Turkey Tango.” Third-grade students Ronin Tateishi-Ouellette, Aubrey Plante and Blake Leavitt accompanied their class on the xylophones, and Grade 2 sang “Thanksgiving at Our House,” featuring second-grade percussionists Rylen Ruggles and Jack Barr.
Woodland Consolidated School students and community members gather around the Christmas tree during a traditional Swedish holiday celebration.
(Courtesy of Woodland Consolidated School)
On Dec. 11, the grades 5-8 band and chorus members showed off their musical prowess. The concert band started the show with “The Tempest” followed by several other numbers. The All-Aroostook Chorus students from Woodland sang “A Soalin'” and “Let Me Ride,” and the entire chorus sang several songs, including “Run, Run, Rudolph.”
Vocal soloist Nevaeh Moody sang “Last Christmas” with modern band students from the eighth grade, and Garin Hanley sang “Mary, Did You Know?” The evening ended with the Woodland Jazz Band playing four pieces, including “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”
To continue the celebrations, on Dec. 13, Woodland observed St. Lucia Day. The processional of Tomtegubbar and Pepparkakor Gubbar (Pre-K students), Starboys (eighth-grade boys), and Tarnor (eighth-grade girls), followed by Lucia (Ilsah Peterson) entered the gymnasium, in darkness except for the light of candles.
Second-graders at Woodland Consolidated School sing for the audience during one of several of the school’s holiday events.
(Courtesy of Woodland Consolidated School)
Vivinene Prashaw and Makenna Green told the history of St. Lucia, and then the Tomtegubbar and Pepparkakor Gubbar handed out Pepparkakor cookies to the audience. Tradition says to make a wish and, using your knuckle, press the center of the cookie. If it breaks into three pieces, your wish will come true. Mrs Karla Fisher baked 500 of these delicious treats for the festivities.
At the end of the program, students, staff, and community members gathered around the Christmas tree for “Nu Har Vi Ljus’ and Swedish dancing. Four circles were formed around the tree. The first and third danced clockwise while the second and fourth danced counter-clockwise.
Special thank-yous went to musicians Stephen Boody and Whitley Green for playing their violins, and to the community for coming out to support the students and music program.
