Jim Thorpe Elementary School second grader Scotty Makowiecki, 7, plays an inflatable guitar as he performs in the “Christmas Showstoppers” musical at the school on Dec. 4.
Monday, Dec. 15, 2008 | 5:32 p.m.
With a smile plastered on his face and his mouth open as wide as it would go, William Kuykendall, 6, proudly sang out several season-appropriate tunes Dec. 4 for Jim Thorpe Elementary School's holiday program.
His parents and those of fellow students crowded into the multipurpose room, watching with smiles on their faces as daughters and sons in white shirts and black pants sang until they couldn't sing anymore.
"I was standing on the stage and my mom was taking my picture," William said. "I was just singing a lot and smiling a lot."
Music specialist Patti Johns directs students in several musical programs throughout the year. For the "Christmas Showstoppers," songs included "Sing of Christmas Time" and "North Pole Rock 'N' Roll," as well as "The Santa Claus Rock."
The students seemed excited enough to sing, but their excitement increased as several took to the front of the stage with blowup guitars in hand. More than once, with their grin never fading, several of them would drop to their knees, lean back and strum the guitar as though they were playing for a crowd of thousands.
The 30-minute program included first and second graders from several of the school's tracks. Johns said they began practicing about a month before the program to make sure the students knew all of the lyrics.
"It really isn't difficult, because they love to sing," she said. "They're little sponges."
Teenager Jessica Butters said her younger sister, Jennifer, 6, was excited about the program in the days leading up to it.
"She talked about it all the time," Jessica said.
She helped Jennifer prepare, playing an instrument while Jennifer sang along for 30 minutes each day, she said.
By the time the day came, grandmother Joyce Eckles said it was all she could do to keep Jennifer calm.
"She couldn't wait to get her clothes on. She thought she was going to miss it," Eckles said.
Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or [email protected].
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy