Students entertain seniors during Songfest

Intermountain Catholic

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Courtesy of Blessed Sacrament School

SANDY — Blessed Sacrament School held its annual Songfest celebration on March 12 in the school gym. Songfest 2014 is an important part of the Community of Caring program at the school. This event is a student outreach to the various senior and retirement communities in Sandy to come and enjoy an afternoon of songs and refreshments.

Under the direction of Laura Thomas, music teacher and choir director, the students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade worked diligently to prepare for this concert and were excited to present it to the visitors.

After the performance, the students walked through the audience, shook hands, and had a chance to speak with the guests.

"Our students enjoyed ‘giving back’ through their talents and their song. We encourage our students to give and make an impact in their world. Sometimes when we give, we don’t get to see the impact we’ve made. Through Songfest, our students got to see the joy and encouragement they gave on the faces of our guests. What a wonderful thing to have students walk away from their performance and not talk about how well they did, but to talk about the impact made on the residents," Thomas said.

Blessed Sacrament School was recognized as a National School of Character in 2012 by the Character Education Partnership and has been awarded five National Promising Practice Awards for excellent programs that integrate character education into the core curriculum. The school is active as a Community of Caring and in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring.

Shelley Luna, a faculty moderator for the Community of Caring Club, actively seeks opportunities for students at all grade levels to interact with the outside community.

"The pre-kindergarten students were excited to sing for our guests and were so enthusiastic as they waved to them," Luna said. "Our students had a great time and it was a wonderful experience for them. It was heartwarming to see the smiles on the faces of our senior visitors, and to see them joining in singing along to favorite old songs. There was a lot of toe tappin’ and clappin’ going on!"