Around 200 fourth- and fifth-graders at Seymour-Jackson Elementary School recently put on a concert in the gymnasium, marking the last concert for fifth-graders at the school.
Kathy Porter, a music teacher at the school, said the students have all worked hard to be the best Wildcats they can be, and then next school year, they’re going to be at the new Seymour Intermediate School for fifth- and sixth-graders.
At the beginning of the concert May 16, Porter asked all of the students in the gymnasium to say the numbers 2-0-2-0.
“Back in 2020, a bunch of these wonderful fourth- and fifth-graders were leaving Jackson to go on spring break,” she said. “They were going to have a show with me on the stage the Thursday right after spring break, but then they said they weren’t going to come back to school because there were too many people that were sick and not feeling good.”
Porter said the students didn’t get to perform those songs in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so they were going to perform the some of them during this year’s concert.
Fifth-graders Jonas Lowe and Ivan Gomez both then addressed the audience.
“I’d like to welcome you all to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Lowe said. “Two grades performing together before they leave Jackson together at the same time to go to the same brand-new intermediate school next year.”
Gomez then wished everyone good morning and announced that their first song for the concert was one he and his classmates had begun working on in second grade.
“That was during COVID, so today, we get to sing together and hope you enjoy our performance of ‘Fifty Nifty,’ one of our favorite songs,” he said.
Fourth-grader Norah Smith said she and her classmates have done their very best to be ready for the new intermediate school, not only in music but in many new challenging situations, and she hoped the audience would enjoy their recorder songs.
Her classmate, Charlee Hawn, said when they started playing recorders in fourth grade, it was a big change in their music class.
“Next year, there will be an even bigger change in our music class when the fourth-graders will be checking out our new music room while some of the fifth-graders will be playing in the band and the choir every day,” she said.
Fifth-grader Lillyan Charlton told the audience the fourth and fifth grade students were trying to be ready for anything at their brand-new school before she introduced the counting and math fact songs the students sang.
In the middle of the concert, four Jackson teachers were recognized because they will be transitioning to Seymour Intermediate School along with the fourth and fifth grade students in the fall.
Porter introduced the teachers, Rachael Brock, Karen Dobrinski, Melanie Klakamp and Jill Waskom, who have a combined 55 years of teaching at Jackson.
“Some of you are not going to get the chance to know Mrs. Brock, Mrs. Dobrinski, Mrs. Klakamp or Mrs. Waskom while they’re still at Jackson,” Porter said to the students. “But if you work really hard, they will be super proud of you when you come to the intermediate school and join then in fifth grade.”
Porter then presented each of the teachers with a thermal coffee mug as a token of appreciation for all of their hard work and for all of the wonderful things they helped her with during her time at the school.
After the grand finale of the concert, Porter presented awards to some of the fourth and fifth grade students who had excelled in certain areas.
Some were honored for their music skills, while some were recognized for being good workers behind the scenes, and others were recognized for being most improved.
Porter said if she could have, she would’ve gotten awards for all of the students.
Those who received an award after the concert were Emma Mikels, Garrett Gomez, Rolando Baltazar, Nathan Benitez, Brooklyn Gambrel, Avery Bare, Perla Perez, Rebeca Mateo, Joshua Welch, Lillian Shipley, Kilynn Burton, Lillyan Charlton, Carolet Hernandez, Axel Hernandez, Sidney Burnette, Jonas Lowe, Jake Gambrel, Eli Rhoades, Liam Ballard, Corbyn Davis, Alissa Marksberry, Sophia Parker and Devin Smallwood.
“When I went to pick up the awards, I was happy because they turned out so cool,” Porter said. “These awards turned out so great, and even though they have the big Seymour S on the front and the winner’s name and 2023, you can feel the paw print on the back.”
Porter said it’s kind of a funny thing that when you get to the end of something, you can be so excited or you can be so nervous about what’s going to come next.
“So when you feel like you’ve lost your way and can’t put one foot in front of the other, you can feel that paw print on the back and remember you’re a Wildcat,” she said.