This is my second year as principal at St. Paul’s. They say in your first year you should observe the system and not change too much. Being an unorthodox principal, I didn’t listen to that advice nearly as much as others do, but I still respected it in certain areas. One such area where I did heed that advice was our annual Christmas program. Being a Lutheran school that exists as a ministry of our Lutheran church (which we share a building with), this is easily our biggest and most important event of the year. The program was pretty awesome. We had around 200 people in attendance, and the kids sang their hearts out. Even the older students managed to get through their memorized readings without passing out. So, by all accounts, it was a success. More importantly, to me anyway, is that I learned a lot about what works, and I identified a couple of areas that I wanted to change.
The first thing I noticed was that after the program, families grabbed a popsicle, chatted for 10-15 minutes in the common room, and then headed off into the night. It felt like a disappointing ending to an otherwise magnanimous evening. The after party was lacking pizzazz. Now understanding the importance of this event as it relates to the ministry of our church (and the happiness of our families), I decided to create a Christmas Market to take place after the church program. This market was inspired by Christmas Markets and Lunar New Year Markets I’d seen and been a part of during my time in Hanoi, Vietnam. It was also inspired by my mentor and friend, Leigh AKA The Unorthodox Principal. In an effort to make this the best experience ever for our families at St. Paul’s, I started a project based learning program called Makers Market. Meeting the last hour of every day, students in Makers Market learned how to bake, how to make jewelry, how to sing, and how to be amazing leaders and hosts. All of these new skills are what we showcased at our 1st Annual Christmas Market. The baking groups made & sold brownies, cookies, rice krispies, muffins, cupcakes, and hot cocoa. The jewelry group made & sold handmade bracelets and earrings. The music group blessed attendees by singing Christmas Carols on stage. Finally, the leadership group played the role of ushers, hosts, and hostesses. All in, we had over 240 people in attendance, and we brought in over $700 in sales, 20% of which is going to a charity chosen by the students. The rest of the proceeds will be reinvested into our Makers Market program. None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for the hard work and dedication of our amazing teachers, and the determination of their incredible students.
The second thing I noticed is that the older students struggled mightily at times to get their words out during the program. These weren’t just any words either, mind you. In most cases, the students were tasked with memorizing scripture and declaring loudly and confidently for all to hear. These words were what glued the program together. These words, in addition to the short message the pastor gives, were the words that declare the Gospel to all in attendance. Given the importance of these words, it felt odd that we would put so much emphasis on memorizing them. Especially when all it took was a sudden lack of motivation from a pre-teen or an absent kid to throw the message off. So I decided to make a change. I had my students work hard to memorize their songs and their one bible verse, but for the scripture readings that were the backbone of the program, I had them read large text from a binder in on a music stand in front of them. It was formatted to fit one single page, and it was put in plastic sheets to protect them. The feedback on this small change was heard loud and clear, and we will continue to do it this way in the future.
Overall, thanks to the tireless efforts of my teachers and the perseverance and dedication of our students, the event was a big hit. Families shared smiles and the kids spread joy. Best of all, the Christmas Market provided a proper festive ending to a memorable evening, and thus, a new tradition is born. Shoutout to all the families who stuck around and blessed the kids by participating in the market.
