Put on by a committee of seven teachers and 18 students, the play was an opportunity to show off their acting skills while soaking in the holiday spirit before their Christmas break.

The play, called “New Star”, took the audience through the story of baby Jesus and the creation of Christmas.

Scheduled at 1:30 p.m., parents started entering the school around a half-hour before to make sure they got the best possible view of the show.

Inside the school’s main hallway, attendees were invited to snack on a variety of fresh-looking pastries, including Tim Bits and cookies in exchange for small donations dedicated to families in need.

Attendees could also sign up for a number of silent auctions on a variety of goods created and donated by Angela Quade. Among other things, the products included different-coloured decorative Christmas wreaths, a cork board and a hand-painted sleigh, to help raise money for the school.

Before finally getting the production underway, Principal Grady Robson gave a word of welcome, explaining how the play was put together and thanking everyone in attendance for showing up.

The play featured Old Star (Laura Graham) and two New Stars (Skye Kenny and Ethan Paulin) seated on the main stage, explaining the origin of Christmas over several scenes and songs.

Several classrooms of students sat in rows in between the stage and the audience. Between each scene, a row of students stood up and sang one of seven Christmas tunes featured in the play, including “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, “Il est ne, le divin enfant” and “Joy to the world”.

After each song, the crowd greeted the kids with loud ovations.

According to one of the play’s organizers, Maureen Levesque, the production process began in October when the committee held its first meeting on the matter.

She explained that by the end of October, students started rehearsing their roles during lunch period, twice per week until the big day, Levesque said.

Levesque explained that teacher Vivian Bohart suggested that “New Star” was an ideal production that students could learn from and shine in at the same time.

“We always find a play that we find suits our students,” Levesque said. “We found this one and read it and just thought it would be a really cute play.”

According to one of the people behind the production, Gillian Patenaude, Christmas plays have been a popular tradition at the school for at least 20 years.

“It’s something the kids look forward to,” she said. “They’re wonderful at getting involved in it.

For Patenaude, the production is a great way for students to get out of their comfort zone and grow because it demands the collaboration of students from different age groups.

“It gives them an opportunity to do something that they don’t usually get to do because it’s across the grades,” she said. “Really grade three up to grade six are involved in the production, which is really nice.”

Patenaude explained that seeing the students hit the stage in the front of their families, teachers and peers is a significant part of their childhood development and a reminder of why she loves guiding them on a daily basis.

“It’s incredibly reassuring and it makes you feel like you’re actually touching the future,” she said. “It’s a great feeling.

Students stand up to sing “Les anges dans nos campagnes” after the first scene of the show.

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