Students at Diggs-Latham Put On Holiday Musical; Students from Salem Baptist Christian School Bring Gifts

This afternoon, 200 Diggs-Latham Elementary students performed the annual holiday musical for the rest of the school's students and for some special guests – 40 students from Salem Baptist Christian School who brought new jackets and other gifts for the Diggs-Latham students.

At 6:30 tonight, the students will perform the show Snow Way Out! A Vacation in Winter’s Wonderland for parents and other members of the community. After the show, 160 Diggs-Latham families will leave with a bag of food donated by the members of Home Moravian Church.

Christopher Caldwell and Delilah Vargas

Music teacher Ann Farthing and newly engaged dance teacher Amanda Stevenson directed the show. The show is set in a winter lodge, and students in art teacher Amanda Gordon’s honors art classes painted such backdrops as a stone fireplace. Hanging nearby is a bear skin they painted.

The show features all the first-and and second-grader at the school as well as fourth-graders in dance and theatre honors program and fourth- and fifth-grader in the music honors program.

Amanda Stevenson helps students get ready

Fifth-grader Clinton Geary has seen a lot of the school musicals. He started in the preschool program at Diggs Elementary before it consolidated with Latham Elementary. He said that he looks forward to the school musical each year.

“I really enjoy it,” Clinton said.

Anne Furrow with students from Salem Baptist

Salem Baptist is only about 1 mile from Diggs-Latham, and, two years ago, Salem Baptist students attended the Diggs-Latham musical The Nutcracker. This year, fifth-and sixth graders decided that, rather than exchange gifts among themselves, they would buy jackets, socks and underwear to give to students at Diggs-Latham. This afternoon, Anne Furrow, the elementary school principal, and the students brought over more than 700 items, including 72 new coats, in time to watch the show.

It was quite a gift, said Donna Cannon, the principal at Diggs-Latham. Before the show began, she introduced the Salem Baptist students to the Diggs-Latham students, describing them as “very, very kind and giving.”  

Everything from Salem Baptist will go into the school’s clothing closet and be given to students as needed.

Cannon also thanked Home Moravian for its support. This is the third year that the church has provided food for families to take home after the musical. “Home Moravian continues to be an incredible partnership,” she said.

In November, Home Moravian invited Diggs-Latham teachers over to the church for a meal. “Our teachers performed for them,” Cannon said.

Cannon also pointed out that the men in the school’s male mentor program – most of them graduates of such high schools as Atkins and Anderson – will be honored by the Urban League on Dec. 26.

The other members of the arts team also helped put on the musical and Cannon and assistant principal Cheryl Frazier provided administrative support.