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Dillingham students celebrate the holiday season with winter concert

Students performing at the elementary school concert
Margaret Sutherland
/
KDLG
Students performing at the elementary school concert

The Dillingham Elementary School held its annual winter concert earlier this month, and students of all ages took to the stage to sing, dance, and bring the holiday season to life in both English and Yupik.

Elementary school students grade kindergarten through 5th grade are crowded onto a stage in the elementary gym. They sway back and forth while holding flickering electric candles that illuminate their faces.

The spotlights are dim and red and green lights twinkle around them as they sing.

It’s the last song of the concert- Silent Night in Yupik and English.

The winter concert is an annual affair. And the kids prepared for their holiday debut for months.

Christian, a fourth grader, says the practices were a good time.

“When we first got our recorders, the music teacher let us make it go as loud as it could. That was fun. And then we practiced, and yeah,” said Christian

Christian says his fourth-grade class performed Gotta Catch that Santa and O’ Christmas Tree along with the Silent Night finale. He says of all three, Gotta Catch that Santa was the most fun.

“Because I like dancing and singing. To me it was more fun,” said Christian.

Fellow fourth graders Talia and Gretchen agree.

“Gotta Catch That Santa because I just liked singing it and doing all of the moves. And we also had sunglasses with it, to act like we were spies. They were like different colors,” they said.

Anthony is in the kindergarten class. He says his favorite song was Silent Night. He liked holding the candles.

“Because you get to use the, use the…. It's cool. I just like it.

For some students, performing in front of all those people was a little nerve-racking. Christian says he felt the nerves, but he found a way to overcome them.

“When I first got on the stage to practice in the morning, I was a little frightened, but I just took a deep breath before we were going to go to the concert and control myself and yeah then I did it,” said Christian.

4th grader Valerie says she was a bit nervous too.

“I just kept reminding myself to do my best and remember to have fun,” she said.

5th graders Jade and Acony helped organize the concert along with their roles as performers. They helped set up the chairs in the gym and they had responsibilities in the middle of the concert, which they say was high stakes.

They say they were happy to have the chance to sing in Yupik.

“We haven't sung in Yupik in a long time and Yupik is like our culture,” they said.

After weeks of preparation, the gym is packed with parents and community members sitting in the aisle or standing along the back wall. They watch and take photos.

As the concert comes to a close, the student's hard work pays off with a standing ovation.

Margaret Sutherland is a local reporter and host at KDLG, Dillingham's NPR member station. Margaret graduated from College of Charleston with a degree in English, and went on to attend the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Radio and Podcasting. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and creating rich soundscapes for the listener's ears to enjoy.