CELEBRATING THE SAVIOR
A tree lighting, family-friendly play, and numerous concerts mark a joyous Christmas season at Worthington Christian School
As the first snowflakes of the season gently fall to a still-warm earth, a chill settles into the November air, and daylight fades earlier and earlier. Seasonal phenomena serve as reminders of the approaching holiday season. This season of remembering the coming of our Savior, the “light of the world,” can be a richly hope-filled experience. There are many ways that Worthington Christian School celebrates Christmas, and it is all the sweeter when we join together as a community for these special occasions.
Second Annual Tree Lighting
To officially kick off this year’s Christmas season, WC will host its second annual school-wide tree lighting event on Tuesday, November 29, at 7:00 PM in the Upper School’s Crabbe Courtyard. This student-led event is a wonderful time for the school community to come together in anticipation and celebration, and it all started around one Upper School student’s dinner table.
Current WC junior Andrew Myhal has always loved the Christmas season–food, tinsel, music, and all. Last year while chatting with his family over dinner, he was struck with the idea to plan and organize a tree lighting event in the newly finished Crabbe Courtyard located at the Tom Anglea Upper School Campus. Through much planning, effort, and collaboration with peers and school leaders, Myhal’s idea became a successful reality.
Of the experience, Myhal explains that he initially thought it would be a one-time event. Yet after witnessing and hearing about how much people enjoyed it, he decided to organize and plan another lighting for the school community this year.
For those who were able to attend last year’s event, some of the elements of this special evening will be familiar. The WC Jazz Band will perform Christmas classics, and students who operate the Warrior Café will be present for attendees to purchase a hot beverage [including hot chocolate, peppermint hot chocolate, hot coffee, and “Dirty Chai” (coffee & chai)]. Myhal and some of his peers will spend hours setting up the tree, complete with trimmings. This year’s tree was purchased from the local business Sambuca’s Country Market and Greenhouse, standing 15 feet tall and featuring up to 2,000 string lights. New to this year’s event will be a select group of WC choir members performing yuletide carols under the direction of vocal music teacher Erin Gill. In Myhal’s words, “This is her [Gill’s] first year at Worthington Christian, and we appreciate her enthusiasm and willingness to help make the tree lighting even better…The purpose of the tree is to festively start the Christmas season and bring a smile to the students and faculty at the upper school as they pass by during their school day.”
Christmas Play: The Final Carol
Next on the calendar for the Warrior Christmas festivities will be the Christmas play. This year’s holiday production is similar to the classic Ebenezer Scrooge story, a play entitled The Final Carol. Scrooge’s former (and deceased) business partner Jacob Marley has spent the last 150 years helping people understand the true meaning of Christmas, losing one of his chains with each changed life. He has one final chain to lose. Ornery high schooler Jamie Edwards is visited by Marley and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future on her journey to transformation.
Between the cast list and backstage support, 40 of WC’s Upper School students are involved in this production. The show’s running time is less than one hour and is family-friendly. Tickets will be sold at the door for $5 per person, general admission. There will be three chances to catch the play, on Friday, December 2, at 7:00 PM, and Saturday, December 3, at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM in the AC Auditorium.
Christmas Concerts
There will be no shortage of opportunities to hear Christmas music at WC this December. Mark your calendars with the following Christmas concert dates:
Tuesday, December 6 | Grade 6 Choir Concert (AC Auditorium, 7:00 PM)
Thursday, December 8 | Grades 6-12 Band Concert (Grace Polaris Church Ministry Center, 7:00 PM)
Tuesday, December 13 | Grades 9-12 Choir and Orchestra Concert (Grace Polaris Church Ministry Center, 7:00 PM)
Thursday, December 15 | Lower School Strings Christmas Chapel (AC Auditorium, 9:00 AM)
Tuesday, December 20 | Grades 7-8 Choir Christmas Cafe Concert (Auxiliary Gym, 9:00 AM)
May we come together as a Christ-centered community this Christmas season to celebrate Him.