HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-12-22, Page 34With the last Christmas concert to
be performed by Blyth Public
School a week past, teachers and
staff at the school are undoubtedly
remembering the adventures they
had at previous concerts.
Jeff Gole and Morag Watt, two of
the more tenured members of the
school’s faculty, recently shared
some of their memories about past
concerts with The Citizen.
Gole remembers his first concert
at the school nearly a decade ago.
“Every class was responsible for
their own act,” he said. “My class re-
enacted a Mercer Meyer [a popular
children’s author] Christmas story,”
he said.
Watt, who recently helped put on
her 18th consecutive Christmas
concert, remembered that concert
and said that had been the standard
for quite some time.
“Everyone came in with their own
idea, each teacher,” she said. “The
classes all had their own thing going
on.”
The two had fond memories of
concerts throughout their time at the
school, and were more than happy to
tell stories of their favourite
moments and the funny foibles that
happen at the concerts.
“I remember doing Skateboarding
Santa one year,” Gole said. “We had
one student, Isaac Nicholson, riding
a skateboard through the audience.
People loved it.”
While neither Gole or Watt
couldn’t remember any specific
crises, he did remember students
suffering from stage fright as well as
upset stomachs and worse, but
everyone seemed to step it up at the
last minute.
“We did have one young lady who
was sick all day, but she was big in
the play,” Watt said. “And sure
enough, by the time the play rolled
around, she had somehow got to the
school and did great. The students
and everybody really just come
together and great things happen.”
Gole remembered one year where
Watt had actually been one of the
stars of the play when she jumped
out of a Christmas present.
“No one knew who it was,” Watt
said. “Then I jumped out at the end
and it was pretty funny.”
Watt has fond memories of the
plays and concerts, but many of
them focus on the unexpected.
“One year we had a kindergarten
class that used flashlights to light
their play and, sure enough, one of
them had to find their parents,” she
said. “So he walked to the front of
the stage and started using the
flashlight to try and find his mom.
“That happens pretty much every
year with the younger kids,” she
said. “There is always someone who
is going to try and find their parents
and give a little wave or have a huge
smile on their face when they finally
see them.”
Watt said her brief time in the
spotlight was nice because, assecretary, a lot of the logisticalthings usually fall to her and the
creative endeavours are handled by
the teachers.
“People see the play and it is ahuge job, but the logistics of it arealso pretty important,” she said. “I
couldn’t do it by myself, but
PAGE 34. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011.
Offering gifts
Bringing some gifts to the baby Jesus on Dec. 14 at Memorial Hall for the annual Blyth Public
School Christmas concert were Bailey Coles, left, Ward Verschaeve, centre and Adam
Shortreed, right. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Long-time staffers remember concerts past
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Continued on page 37