This past Wednesday, all students from grades K-12 gathered in dress uniform in the Hebert Center Gym to celebrate one of Convent and Stuart Hall’s most important traditions, Noëls. This tradition marks the start of the holiday season and includes many performances in a variety of languages from all grade levels. Students were assigned to a section depending on their grade level and the language they study.
“I sang “Reno Erat Rudolphus” with my Latin class this year,” sophomore Aaliyah Recinos said. “It was really fun and I had a great time,”
At Noëls this year, many speeches were given from various administration members and students. Noëls is a way in which the student body is able to honor school president Ann Marie Krejcarek who, in her speech, expressed her gratitude towards all students and the importance of school traditions and community.
“I think Noels is a great tradition at our school,” junior Noella Tae said. “I loved seeing the whole community unite in the spirit of Christmas,”
For the last few weeks, students have been practicing and rehearsing their songs for Noëls with many of the language teachers. This year’s Noëls included performances in French, Spanish, Latin, Mandarin and a sing-along in English. Noëls serves as an opportunity for the school to come together as a community and enjoy these final moments before the start of the Christmas break, according to Global Politics teacher Martin Jorgensen.
“I enjoyed watching the school come together,” Jorgensen said. “It was great seeing the little kids sing,”
Following the performances at Noëls, high school students attended a performing arts showcase that featured singing, dancing and instrumentals. Afterwards, students were given the opportunity to engage in different activities— the seniors decorated cookies with the kindergarteners, the juniors took part in a college counseling workshop, the sophomores attended a meeting regarding the annual trip to Costa Rica and the freshmen participated in a writing workshop with author-in-residence Jennifer De Leon.
“I performed with the vocal ensemble during the performing arts showcase,” junior Sterling Loretto said. “It was really enjoyable to participate in something I’m so passionate about,”
Overall, the performances at this year’s Noëls showcased a variety of Christmas music. Some groups performed Christmas carols and more traditional songs while others sang popular Christmas songs. Many of the sections included bits of choreography, costume and instruments in their performances, displaying each section’s creativity.
“My class used jingle bells and had red noses on during our song,” Recinos said. “It really added to our performance – we all had a lot of fun at Noëls this year.”
