Winter Carnival was the theme of Southport Central School’s annual Winter Concert held Wednesday, Dec. 12 and the decorated walls of the town hall and music performed portrayed the theme well.

Before the crowd settled in to hear eight performances by the 24 students, many enjoyed looking at the artful characters on the wall and on the stage backdrop. Photographs of the faces of the students and the staff were skillfully placed on drawings of them dressed in winter clothing and doing different things at a winter carnival – skating, throwing snowballs and sliding – while the staff was depicted holding holiday pies.

Before music teacher Jennifer McIvor organized the student body on stage for the first song, “If the Snow Could Sing,” Principal Lisa Clarke and the two sixth grade students, Brian Abbe and Sage Wickline, welcomed the crowd and presented potted plants to concert organizers McIvor and Eileen Higgins.

Throughout the concert, Abbe, Wickline and Sarah Harris introduced songs, asked Christmas-related riddles and exchanged a couple of “Knock-Knock” jokes.

“Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow!” was the second number, performed by the K-3 Chorale Ensemble and accompanied by the K-1 Percussion Ensemble. The same singing ensemble next performed “Douglas Mountain,” while the Grade 2-3 Percussion Ensemble joined in.

While the Grade 4 Group Piano Class played “Jingle Bells” from below the stage, the audience watched and laughed as five of the younger students played “musical sleds” on stage.

The second half of the concert featured grades 4-6 singing “Cold Snap,” grades 2 and 3 singing “Snow is Falling,” three violinists playing “Shortnin’ Bread,” and the student body, accompanied by the ukulele ensemble, performing “Count on Me.”

The 30-minute concert concluded with an audience sing-along, led by the sixth graders Abbe and Wickline and fifth graders Harry Hinckley and Trey Tibbetts. The crowd enthusiastically sang along to “Deck the Halls,” “Jingle Bells,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”