Lincoln School's Jingle Bell Jukebox

The Lincoln School hosted their Christmas Program, "Jingle Bell Jukebox," a presentation of holiday hits featuring Lincoln School Pre-K through sixth grade students, on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 18.

If you were there, you likely had a wonderful time watching the kids and getting your holiday spirit in gear, and if you didn't attend, you simply just missed out.

Spearheaded by teachers Stacey Mannix and Katie Spencer, the entire staff at the school played a part in helping the production become a reality. The kids looked as if they were having a ball, parents and family members watched in awe, and I smiled all the way through the performance, watching all the Christmas cheer around me.

Before the show got completely underway, kids and parents alike were waving to one another from the stage and audience in anticipation of the performance to come.

The Pre-K class kicked everything off by welcoming everyone to the show and showing off their rhyming skills. Putting a quarter into the jukebox to get the Christmas spirit off to an energetic start, students began dancing, twirling, cartwheeling and singing. Cade Simpsen, Ryleigh Dailey, Preslie Vogl, Jack Longson, Lilianna Siloti and Trayce Rivera were front and center, showing off their dance moves.

I think my favorite performance of the evening was the "Frosty Hand Jive" which put a new twist on the traditional favorite. Cayden Wagner portrayed a dancing Frosty while the rest of the kids sang and hand-jived to the beat.

"You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch," performed by the second-grade class and featuring Roegun Dietz as the Grinch and Elijah Barnett as his trusty dog Max, was another fun highlight of the evening.

Additional performances included "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," by the Kindergarten and first grade classes, "Jingle Bells Rock" by the fifth and sixth graders, "Let it Snow!" performed by the Pre-K through third grade classes, "Sleigh Ride" by the third and fourth grade classes, and "Silent Night" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" performed by all the students.

Lead performers Ruby and Roxie were played by Makenna Copenhaver and Elora Paull. They were also featured in a duet during the song "Comin' Up Christmas Time" and did a beautiful job as well. After the performance ended, and before the guest appearance of Santa Claus, these lovely ladies presented Mannix and Spencer each a bouquet of flowers on behalf of all the students.

The teachers and school extended a special thank you to the community for their assistance with the program. They also thanked the Lincoln sewing and quilting groups who made the skirts for all of the girls in the performance, Sue Murphy for providing dance lessons to the students, Annie Allen Clark, for her help with the backdrop artwork, Dani Cyr for her DJ skills through the concert and art teacher April Erickson and her high school students for creating the backdrop artwork.

I'm already looking forward to next year's Christmas program, and if this year is any indication, it's sure to be another to remember.