Santas not the only show in town; school programs hot tickets

Schools in Havre are already busy with activities celebrating the Christmas season, and much more is to come.

Schools have been and will be holding Christmas programs, concerts, caroling, and collecting for charitable donations. Havre High School has already held a band concert on Dec. 11 and a choir concert is scheduled on Monday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Other activities in the spirit of Christmas include the HHS Kids in Action working to build collection bins and collect money for the Community Giveaway House.

Havre Middle School has already had band concerts, and will have a choir concert at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21, in the high school auditorium. Other activities have included a canned food drive for Havre charitable organizations.

Sunnyside Elementary School's Christmas programs begin with a fifth-grade program at 9 a.m. in the school gymnasium, followed by the third-grade program at 10:30 a.m. The fourth-grade class will present their program at 9 a.m., followed by the first-grade at 1 p.m. The school's other fifth-grade class will have their program at 1 p.m. on Dec. 21, and the the second-grade presents theirs at 2:15 p.m.

The Sunnyside students are also collecting for a canned food drive, are collecting money to participate in the Angel Tree program, will be visited by Santa Claus, and will be caroled by the Havre High School Hi-Liters on Dec. 21 at 9 a.m.

Highland Park Elementary School is also in the Christmas spirit, decorating their classes, making cookies for the soup kitchen, singing at the Havre care center, and classes participating in the Angel Tree instead of exchanging gifts. Their Christmas programs will be held on Dec. 21.

Devlin Elementary School also has a busy schedule, with the second-grade class joining the Lincoln-McKinley second-graders caroling at the care center and at Eagles Manor on Dec. 18. The third -grade class will perform their program at Devlin on Dec. 19 at 6:30 p.m. The kindergarten, fourth-grade and interactive multi-age program will perform a Christmas program at Devlin at 1 p.m., and the second-grades from both Devlin and Lincoln-McKinley will perform at Lincoln-McKinley on Dec. 20 at 1:30 p.m. Christmas parties will also be held on Dec. 22, with the Hi-Liters caroling the classes.

Lincoln-McKinley has some other events as well, with the second-graders caroling at the Eagles Manor and Northern Montana Hospital on Dec. 18, and the fifth-graders reading to residents at the care center on Dec. 20. Students also made gingerbread houses to enter in the contest which was judged at the care center, and classes are participating in the Angel Tree instead of exchanging gifts.

The other classes' programs begin with the second-grade presentation at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 20, with the third-grade performing on Dec. 21 at 8:45 a.m., the fourth-grade performing from 9:35 to 10:15 a.m. and the kindergarten, first-grade and pre-first performing from 10:20 to 11 a.m.

St. Jude's-Havre Central students are also very busy. Their program schedule is underway, with the four preschool classes and the two kindergartens performing at 10 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. today and tomorrow, will take place in the Havre Central gymnasium. Grades one through eight will perform a program including the band and closing with a nativity on Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. in the gym.

St. Jude's students have also been busy with other activities. The fifth- through eighth-grade band will perform at the Havre Holiday Village Shopping Center at 3 p.m. on Dec. 17, and there will be an all-school advent mass. The pre-K and first- and second-grade classes are collecting food for Sister Judith Meander's charity programs, the third- through fifth-graders are participating in the Angel Tree, the sixth-graders are collecting hats and mittens to send to the school in Hays, the seventh-grade is collecting money to purchase items for Kitty Keepers in Havre, and the eighth-grade is collecting socks to ship to a mission in Minneapolis.

The Havre Christian School is holding their Christmas program at 7 p.m. on Dec. 19. They are also holding a family fun night, with games and refreshments, in the gymnasium at 7 p.m.