Woodland students put on a show for local seniors

5 years ago

WOODLAND, Maine — Grandparents and relatives packed the Woodland Consolidated School gym on May 7 when students performed songs and dances as part of the school’s annual “Senior Citizens Day.”

The show was just over an hour long, and featured performances from each grade level at the PreK-8 school .

Students at Woodland Consolidated School danced and performed a variety of songs during Senior Citizens Day on May 7. Pictured in front, from left, are Cayleigh Albert and Kaidyn Browning. In the back are Phoebe Butler and Lucas Kidder.
(Chris Bouchard)

First graders performed Psy’s “Gangnam Style;” second and third graders did a “Minion Dance,” based on the Minions and Despicable Me films; fourth graders carried out the “Hampster Dance,” a sped up version of Roger MIller’s “Whistle Stop;” and fifth graders entertained with a square dance to the song “Oh Johnny,” composed by Abe Olman.

PreK and Kindergarten pupils then gathered to perform “Going to the Zoo,” a popular children’s singalong song in which the participants mimic the gestures of all the animals described. First and second graders later returned to the stage to sing “Love is an Open Door,” from the Disney film “Frozen.”

Students at Woodland Consolidated School danced and performed a variety of songs during Senior Citizens Day on May 7. Pictured here are Eleanor Rothlauf, left, and Bradin Hewitt.
(Chris Bouchard)

Woodland School Show Choir director Jennifer Holmes then introduced the school’s show choir and announced that the group won second place (and a silver medal) in the Division 2 Show Choir Competition of the Maine State Vocal Jazz Festival held at Lawrence High School in Fairfield on March 30. The audience responded to the news with generous applause.

The Show Choir closed out the musical portion of the gathering with a medley of several songs originally performed during the vocal jazz festival. Guests then were treated to lunch.

Students at Woodland Consolidated School performed a variety of songs during Senior Citizens Day on May 7. Pictured here are Emma Butler and George Ferland.
(Chris Bouchard)

Woodland Consolidated School Principal Susie Schloeman said the school has hosted this event every year for 20 to 25 years, and that it requires “a lot of teamwork” to organize. Schloeman, the physical education teacher and the music instructor work to prepare the show while the school secretary fields phone calls and puts together programs, and cafeteria workers prepare food for the lunches. School custodians also take extra time out of their day to set up chairs and tables for the performances and lunches.

The feedback from local seniors, according to Schloeman, “is always positive.”

“They love seeing their grandkids,” the principal said. “Even people who don’t have grandchildren continue coming every year. They look forward to it and the students all love to perform.”

Students at Woodland Consolidated School performed a variety of songs during Senior Citizens Day on May 7. Pictured here in the front, from left, are Brooke Wheeler, Emerson Mullen, Zackary Treadwell, and Masyn Paul. In the back are Emmett Anderson, Avery Hewitt, Scarlett Beckum, and Lilly Montgomery.
(Chris Bouchard)