STERLING — The sounds of children singing loud for all to hear, spreading holiday cheer filled the air during the annual Winter Festival at Houghton Elementary School on Dec. 21.
Students in grades K through 4 traveled in groups from place to place in the building to sing festive tunes with musicians from the community. The Sterling Strummers ukulele ensemble accompanied them on “Mele Kalikimaka” and other songs in the gymnasium, Houghton alum Aili Bauman cheerfully strummed the guitar and sang “Jingle Bell Rock” and more in the cafeteria, and Houghton parents Ann Marie Jaber and Brian Duplessis nailed “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and encouraged the kids to yell the lyrics “stink, stank, stunk” during “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
Another stop was the grades 3/4 common area, a favorite for the children because while they sang “Let It Snow” with school nurse Bertha Josiah-Ogbomo and school psychologist Danae Allison, the white stuff was actually whirling around and landing on them thanks to a special machine, which drew shrieks of glee.
Children in all grades had built sets and created colorful decorations for the occasion in art class, which were on display all around the school. The program culminated with some all-school songs in the gym that included “Hanukkah is Here” and “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” during which a suspiciously dressed hippo pranced around.
Several large inflatables were set up there, and the masked readers were revealed, much to the delight of the children who loudly cheered, and the Special Agents — art teacher Kate Blehar, music teacher Jess Wilke, and physical education teacher Mike Walsh — joined the ukulele players and the other musicians and singers.
The excitement in the air was palpable as students and staff counted down the minutes until end of the school day, which signaled the beginning of winter recess, which runs through Jan. 1. Many in attendance were decked out in holiday gear, such as ugly sweaters for the staff, and the children continued the tradition of wearing holiday hats for the day.
The occasion was organized by Wilke, who came up with the traveling smaller groups format three years ago during the pandemic. Prior to that they had done an all-school gathering where everyone sang together in the gym, which now happens at the end of the current format.
“I am hopeful it is a keeper,” Wilke said of the current setup. “I just love the feel of community it brings.”
She went on to say that the kids are happy to practice the songs in the weeks leading up to the event, and that she really enjoys putting it all together.
“For me, the value of our singalong goes far beyond the spreading of holiday spirit,” Wilke said. “One of our main goals for the children in our school is to help them understand that art, music and PE are not just classes that you take in school. They are activities you can carry on for the rest of your life, whether they are your full-time job or a beloved hobby. By sharing the talents of our community, from Houghton alumni to our amazing Sterling Strummers, it is our dearest hope that the children move forward in their lives holding the related arts in a place of importance.”
