CASWELL, Maine — Students at the Dawn F. Barnes Elementary School hosted a Christmas chorus concert on Tuesday morning in the Caswell school’s gymnasium.
A number of tables and chairs were set up to turn the gym into a small banquet hall, where all of the school’s elementary students took to the stage for a holiday celebration filled with both singing and acting. The students not only sang a score of traditional Christmas tunes for friends, family and loved ones in attendance, but they also put on a handful of short skits, which along with the chorus, made for a cheerful morning of Christmas fun at the Caswell elementary school.
With Tuesday being the day before Christmas Eve, it was the last day in which the students at Dawn F. Barnes would have the opportunity to perform their Christmas production for their friends and family, who came out to pack the gym on Tuesday morning and be entertained by these talented students. As Christmas vacation quickly approaches for students, those at Caswell got the final day before vacation started with a bang.
The morning began with an introduction from Santa Claus, being played by Matthew Martin. Martin introduced the actors before they took to the stage for a humorous skit involving a mouse, played by Nathaniel Labreck, an army man who can only walk backwards, played by Alec Comeau and a jar of Play-dough, played by Riley Pelletier.
According to Dawn F. Barnes’ Principal Krystina Davenport, “each year the students, under the direction of Nancy Martin, put on a Christmas play. This year’s play was titled ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,’” she added.
Davenport explained that this year’s play was all about the misfit and broken toys that had lost all hope for Christmas, but were saved by Santa and his host of elves.
“The play was about all the misfit and broken toys that are being taken away, but when Santa finds them he has his elves get right to work fixing them to help with the shortage of toys,” said Davenport, “The kids have been working hard since the beginning of the school year to be able to memorize their parts and act out their characters.”
Davenport also praised Martin for her hard work and dedication to the play’s production, and explained that she deserved a great deal of credit for the play being made possible, along with the cast members, of course. She also pointed out that this type of extra-curricular activity provides students the opportunity to face fears like stage fright or public speaking.
“Nancy Martin worked very hard making props and painting the scenes to make this all come together,” said Davenport. “A play like this allows our students to have the opportunity to perform in front of a small audience and overcome some of their stage fright fears. They all did a great job.”
