By Ashley McLeod, Staff Writer
Dec 14, 2012, 13:47
The night was filled with Christmas spirit as the Dupont Dynamos, Christmas Choir, and Guitar Club of Dupont Elementary School celebrated the holidays by performing the show “Jingle Bell Jukebox” Tuesday.
The event gave students a chance to show their talents to their family, friends and teachers.
The Guitar Club began the show by performing three holiday songs. The Christmas Choir followed, singing four tunes.
The Dupont Dynamos, led by director Mitzie Eubank, followed with a performance of the play, titled “Jingle Bell Jukebox.”
The show centers around a soda shop, where kids congregate to enjoy songs on the jukebox. Ruby, played by Tiara Debeary, owns the soda shop and encourages the kids to sing, dance and have fun.
Debeary and fellow castmate Idayziah Jones, both in 5th grade, joined the Dynamos in 4th grade and enjoyed this year’s performance.
“I had fun learning my parts and figuring out how I wanted to portray the character,” Jones said.
Neither Debeary nor Jones was nervous about performing, as both have auditioned before such companies as Disney and Nickelodeon.
The students in the cast, ranging from second to fifth grade, were dressed up as snowflakes, snowmen, elves and other Christmas characters as they sang such songs as “Jingle Bells Rock!” and “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
The Grinch was played by Assistant Superintendent Ray Watson, who accompanied the students on stage to steal their stuffed animals.
Eubank, who runs the Dynamos along with Karen Dent, said a big part of why she picked this production for her students was the lively musical numbers.
“I think it gets everybody into the Christmas spirit and has a great holiday message,” Eubank said.
Former Dynamo Alivia Pearson, who is now a sixth grader at Carter G. Woodson Middle School, came back by request of Eubank to help with the show as a student director. She helped set up the stage and sound system and controlled the lights. For the Pearsons, participation is a family affair, since Alivia has two twin sisters in the group.
“It was awesome to come back,” Pearson said.
Eubank started the Dynamos 11 years ago to provide students at the school a creative outlet and a place to express themselves. Eubank said she believes that programs such as the Dynamos help the students prepare themselves for the future.
“It’s a building block foundation, and it allows them to grow as individuals, to shine, to show their talents and their abilities,” Eubank said.
All the hard work the students put into the show became worth it at curtain time, when the applause of proud family, faculty and friends filled the room.
