Dec. 25, 2007 — “Are you ready?” Henry Bietz, principal of Fletcher Walker Elementary and superintendent of Westwood School District, asked students as the hands on the clock reached 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18… the time scheduled for the Christmas program. Their answer was an enthusiastic “yeah!”

“This program is filled with entertainment and enjoyment. The kids had a good time preparing for the program,” Bietz told parents and community members in the audience.

Class by class children moved on and off the stage to perform, while parents rushed forward to capture the moment on film. The program began with the kindergarten class singing “Silent Night,” under the guidance of Jane Medici, their teacher.

The first-graders taught by Mary Ann Mayne and second-grade class taught by Pat Costa combined forces to perform “Feliz Navidad” and “Raindrops on Roses.” Both songs were sung a cappella.

Costumes enhanced the selection sung by the third-grade class taught by Sandra Hartigan. Children wore reindeer antlers, one dressed like Santa and the other students snuggled under blankets in their pajamas to perform “Reindeer on My Roof.” Essentially this song spun a tale about children who could not sleep because they heard reindeer on the roof.

Students from Red River Community Day School made a surprise appearance to sing a special song as the Red River Range Rovers. These students taught by Kelly Bainbridge were not on the program.

Students in Marci Johnson’s fourth-grade class performed an old favorite with a new twist, “The Night Before, The Night Before Christmas.” In this version about Christmas preparations gone awry, holes were discovered in the Christmas stockings and only three trees were left on the lot when the family went to make their selection.

The fifth-grade class taught by Michael Bergin went caroling choosing to move around the audience as they performed a Christmas medley.

The program ended with the sixth-graders reciting the traditional “Night Before Christmas” and singing a not so traditional version of “Jingle Bells.”

Just before families filed out of the auditorium, Bietz informed them that the snow had been ordered to make the evening special.