Teachers, students spread holiday joy as they put on virtual performance
Click here for updates on this story
PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Usually days before Christmas, holiday concerts are taking place in school auditoriums and cafeterias across the region but that too is going virtual in 2020. And students at a school in Overbrook Park still found a way to make family members proud.
The show must go on! Even in the midst of a virtual learning setting because of the pandemic, the annual Lamberton Elementary Winter show went on without a hitch.
“I call it the Spread Some Cheer Project and I just kind of pulled together what I could. I had some of my dance classes dance and perform them right on the screen and we did some storytelling and I danced a little bit in there and it turned out to be pretty magical,” Sheila Fisher said.
All of the kindergarten through eighth grade students participated, learning their part not on a school stage, but in their homes with Ms. Fisher guiding the choreography virtually.
“I have no rhythm,” said Michelle Ettore.
Ettore is an autistic support teacher who made sure her eight students were all a part of the show.
“We learned it in my kitchen and it was fun. They logged on this morning and the first thing they said is ‘we don’t have to do that dance, do we.’ And I said no, we don’t, don’t worry,” Ettore said.
Ettore also paid for and delivered the students their costumes — red and green shirts, a bell necklace and a Santa hat.
” I just wanted to continue to give my students the normalcy we’re virtual doesn’t mean we can’t continue to do the same traditions that we normally do,” she said.
So at a time when everything about learning seems so different, teachers at Lamberton brought some familiar holiday joy to warm the spirit.
“I wanted them to know through this that, you know, even though, we’re not together, we’re still so blessed. We still have each other and just not to give up hope,” Fisher said.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
