Madeleine Choir School presents 'The Nativity'

IC photo by Christine Young

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The fourth-grade actors in ?The Nativity? gather around Mary and Joseph after the birth of Jesus. The students studied the play before performing it. Parents helped to make the costumes and props for the play.

SALT LAKE CITY - The Madeleine Choir School's fourth grade class presented "The Nativity," Dec. 17, in the school auditorium.

The first grade class welcomed everyone and set the stage for the play by singing "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

The play opens with King Herod, played by Maria Steenburgh, saying, "Even though Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago, his birth and life continue to affect us today. Jesus came to us as a human baby so that he could grow up to be both man and Savior and so that he could tell us all how God wants us to love one another."

This year the school added on an evening performance for parents and a special performance at CHRISTUS Saint Joseph Villa Dec. 18. After performing the play at the Villa, the students introduced themselves to the residents and visited with them. When they returned on the bus back to school, they had many stories to share about the residents.

"It is a tradition at the Madeleine Choir School for the fourth grade to put on "The Nativity" play, so the kids are very anxious to learn about it," said Katie Soulier, Madeleine Choir School fourth grade teacher. "We read the story of the nativity and the birth of Christ, as well as incorporated it into other classes. In their art class they recreated the Madonna. So we focus on the story in more than one class and see different dynamics of the play."

Soulier said they read through the script as a class in October, and understood who each person was and their different parts. They also watched the "Nativity" story, and then held auditions.