Wearing homemade costumes and singing, third-graders at Burlington Elementary School put on an old fashoned Christmas pageant for their parents Tuesday night.

Wednesday, December 20, 2000

Wearing homemade costumes and singing, third-graders at Burlington Elementary School put on an old fashoned Christmas pageant for their parents Tuesday night.

"We’ve been working on this since before thanksgiving," third grade teacher Teresa Saunders said.

The play tells a story through the eyes of a part-time shepherd and cub reporter for the Bethlehem Chronicle as he searches for a way to save his failing paper – and finds it in the Christmas story.

"We try to find something with a message," said Brenda Martin, Burlington’s music teacher. "And we try to find something that has a catchy rhythm that the kids will catch onto.

The play featured familiar Christmas songs and some that parents hadn’t heard before. In one, the three wise men rapped along with "We Three Kings" while sporting headphones and sunglasses.

The costumes were made or rented by parents of the young actors.

"We provided some suggestions," Teresa Saunders said. "But it was up to them to get the costumes. There have been some good ones this year."

Many of the parents agreed.

"It was wonderful," said Tammy Ryan.

Mrs. Ryan’s twin children, Jenny and Allen Adkins, played sheep in the play.

"My favorite part was when a wolf howled, and all the sheep looked scared."