McClure Junior High held its annual Holly Day Thursday, the last day of school before winter break, with students competing in a school variety show under the theme Polar Express.
“Holly Day is the most beloved day of the year,” said Ashley Burger, assistant principal.
Burger said that last year the school did a Charlie Brown Christmas theme. Following the variety show, Burger said, “the students will pick one of two sessions to do an activity or science project.”
The variety show began with eighth-grade students Mira Dedhia playing piano and Aubrey Decker singing the song “Everglow” by Coldplay in tribute to their late teacher, Mrs. Ashley Jurjovec, who died in May. Mira said she was inspired by going to a Coldplay concert and hearing the lyrics to the song.
“My mom suggested this would be a good song to honor Mrs. J,” she said.
Aubrey also found meaning in the lyrics.
“We wanted to find a way to make sure the lyrics to the song could be heard by everyone,” Aubrey said. “We decided I would sing and Mira would accompany me on the piano.”
Other variety show acts included vocal solos, instrument performances, marital art demonstrations, a Chicago Blackhawks tribute skit and performances from band members and the seventh-grade cheerleaders. In between performances, students performed a running skit where they were riding a train called the Holly Day Express.
The show ended with a digital short film made by the staff and teachers to show their holiday spirit.
Students were allowed to pick one session/activity before lunch and one after lunch for the second part of the day. Sixth-grader Ella Rausch selected the photo booth activity.
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“This is all about taking pictures and learning to use cool effects and color,” Ella said.
She said she has tried this enhancement tool before but wanted to practice some more with the effects.
One of the available service projects was to make treat plates for the Western Springs Fire Department. Eighth-grade students Grace McGann; Ava Gaskey, Elise Allen and Heidi Leonard put together chocolate treats and peppermint bark. Grace said they were planning on walking the treat plates over to the Fire Department in the afternoon.
One of the popular annual activities is decorating shoes. Students brought in assorted white gym shoes to decorate with markers and other craft materials.
Jeremiah Woods, a sixth-grader, said he was making Bulldog shoes by creating lines using masking tape and coloring in between.
“I am also writing in the words Bulldog, McClure and coloring in the rest of the shoe,” he said.
Some students chose to participate in creating hats for babies in the neonatal intensive care unit of Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. Seventh–grader Ella Neary said the hats were “a Christmas gift of love.”
“We want the babies to have a Christmas gift, it’s a nice thing to do,” said Delaney Sullivan, another seventh-grader.
Some students also wanted to make treats for the dogs at the Hinsdale Humane Society shelter. Seventh-grader Teddy Huml and sixth-graders Cooper King and Nicolas Peter Barbera worked together to create dog treats by using baby food and flour.
“We have to make sure we have enough flour to set the treat and we then cut it out with animal shaped cookie cutters,” Teddy said.
Other activities available to students included outdoor flag football, cupcake decorating, virtual reality experimenting and making blankets for the Linus Project.
Diane Dachota is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press