Midvalley students warm holiday spirits with music, charity

Midvalley Elementary students are busy this holiday season, filling up the month with Christmas concerts and charity work.

One joyful holiday reunion will be when former Midvalley teacher Joyce Larsen returns to see her kindergarten program in its 35th year, said kindergarten teacher Vicki Houmand.

Many of the same songs will be performed, including “Angel Band,” which features several students on percussion instruments. Students will sing “Spanish Lullaby,” as well as traditional carols like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Rudolph” and “Jingle Bells,” with choreography and props. Photos of students missing teeth will be shown while the 85 kindergarteners perform, “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.”

Houmand, along with kindergarten teacher Jolene Hoffmann, will direct the program at 9:30 a.m., Dec. 14, in the school play room, with special assistance from Treena Sharp and Christina Smith.

“This is a fun community tradition,” Houmand said. “Students remember when they sang it and love seeing it again. Joyce Larsen incorporated music in her classroom all the time so it will be neat having her see it again.”

Fourth-grade students are making cube and triangle decorations and paper chains, then decorating the tree at Zions Bank, 8955 South 700 East. Then, Elizabeth Gould’s class will perform there as well, Dec. 8, at 5:15 p.m.

“It’s a fun time, where students decorate the tree with the ornaments they make, turn on the lights, sing carols and have cookies,” Zions financial service representative LeeAnne Christiansen said.

This is the third year that Midvalley has participated in these festivities, fourth-grade teacher and choir director Elizabeth Gould said.

The school’s choir, consisting of 100 third- through sixth-graders, will sing at 7 p.m., Dec. 15, at the school, 217 East 7800 South, under the direction of Gould, Rachel Merrell and Rona Bresnehan.

“We’ll have our traditional start of singing ‘Chocolate in my Stocking,’ and tossing out chocolate to the audience,” Gould said. “A fun song we’ll include is ‘Christmas Round,’ and we will use different props that are round -- pies, halo, bowls of nuts, circles under Dad’s eyes.”

This month, the 27-member student council is organizing donations of coats, hats and gloves to give to the Road Home Shelter, said former first-grade teacher Joyce Bedont, who along with fourth-grade teacher Sherry Nance, advises the student council. Students also are donating quarters for the Jordan Credit Union’s Warm the Soles program, which provides shoes for children in need.

“We’ve helped people in our community through the Family Support Center and other ways and thought this was another way we could show our support,” Bedont said. “We’re planning to hold a food drive around Valentine’s Day for the Utah Food Bank. We hope that these students provide leadership and are role models when they provide service for other kids and for our community.”

Midvalley’s student council will accept donations in the school office from the community through Dec. 12.