Willoughby-Eastlake Schools delivers its Christmas best

By Patricia Nugent

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling, toooooo.

Nothing makes this the most wonderful time of the year more than festive holiday carols.

Last month, when the Willoughby-Eastlake Schools alerted teachers and students they would go virtual within the week due to Covid-19, it looked like the annual Holiday Concerts would be cancelled.

But with an indomitable show-must-go-on spirit, Director of Choirs at Eastlake North High School Devra Levine pulled together students to record a virtual concert.

“As soon as we found out we were moving to remote learning, I reached out to the 17 students from our Northern Lights a cappella singing group to see if they could come in after school to shoot footage of them performing several holiday songs,” she says. “They showed up dressed in their Christmas best. I was also able to get a larger group of choir students to sing a song together. It was heartwarming to see them pull together like this.”

You can find the larger group of Mixed Choir, Concert Choir and Chorale singers performing the South African tune “Indodana” via a YouTube link on the school district’s site, WESchools.org.

To create a virtual concert took more time and tech. Using technology such as SoundTrap, Garage Band, and WeVideo, Devra was able to synch individual recordings of the 80+ choral students. Each singer taped him or herself singing to a guided track.

“In between the performances, we feature individual students talking about what the songs mean to them,” she says.

Devra points out that this time of year, the students are usually busy doing gigs at the mall, televised segments and shows at local senior centers. But their current performance schedule is empty. At least people will be able to get in the spirit with the virtual show, which will be featured on the district’s site by mid-December.

“Our students are resilient, always willing to go the extra mile,” she says.

Look for these monthly stories to cover topics from grades K-12 in the Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools System. For details, visit WESchools.org.