On December 12, Seaview School put on its annual Christmas Coffeehouse. Along with performances that went along a traditional vein, one incorporated computer era elements into an old Christmas standard, while another delved into municipal affairs.
The concert started out with a performance by the kindergarten and grade 1 class of Heather Jack. The children sang the melodic and hypnotic song “Little Snowflake,” each one waving a large paper snowflake about to illustrate the song’s lyrics.
Rebecca Hebert’s grade two and three class performed a humorous take on the 12 Days of Christmas, called the Twelve Days of School. In this interpretation, “my classmate gave to me” 12 pencil crayons, 11 purple pom poms, 10 sticky stickers, nine smelly markers, eight sheets of paper, seven glues for gluing, six books for reading, five binder rings, four word wall words, three felt pens, two math textbooks and hole punch confetti. The holder of the bucket of confetti, Arianna Stewart, threw up a handful each time her verse was sung.
Teacher, Riannon Heym helped students put on a multi-media interpretation of The Christmas Carol. The past, present and future dream sequences of the play took the form of a video projected on the wall. The performance, that started out the same way so many performances of the Christmas Carol have over the years, brought much laughter as it turned into a computer era boardroom-style didactic. The video of Scrooge’s future was especially humorous: the children were gathered around one of Seaview’s trademark planting beds, struggling to find a kind word to say at Scrooge’s final resting place.
In a cast-written play narrated by Jaiden Cameron, Santa and Mrs. Claus have two children name Holly and Mistletoe who are very much like modern-day children. While fixing his sleigh, Santa gets sick and can’t do Christmas. Holly and Mistletoe, played Madison Frank and Abigail Harris, put on an energetic performance as they try to save Christmas by delivering presents themselves.
Under the direction of principal Heather Johnson, a group of students dealt with the subject of the arena closure. A sign on a tall ladder with a sign saying “Doug Bondue Area” was the symbolic representation of the building. The actors demonstrated how it is a place for children to practice hockey and skating skills, interact with other children and meet new friends. In the play, everyone is looking forward to a Christmas hockey tournament.
Brooklyn Smith gave a very convincing “mayoral” performance as she announced the unhappy news of the arena closure—as a “difficult decision but a necessary one”—from behind her portable podium, an important prop that she carried around like an appendage.
Morgan McGraw and Zach Spafford, portraying village workers in colourful high vis vests, work boots and hard hats, came stomping onto the stage with a closure sign and bright orange road cones to cordon off the area. They were very stern and serious; though, in the intensity of their performance, they were unable to suppress a few giggles.
With the arena closed, the Christmas hockey tournament was then cancelled. It was subsequently revived by an act of serendipity. After a winter storm hits Port Alice, freezing all the pipes and causing a flood that turns to ice, the children were then able to have their hockey tournament.
Although efforts to raise funds to open the arena that year fell short, the story had a happy ending when the results from a GoFundMe page procured enough funds to open it for next year.
Surely, the cast is hoping that that result will be reflected in real life.
- Debra Lynn article
