Girls and boys serve up annual seasonal treats as schools get ready for the Christmas holidays
Christmas is, of course, a time for children and in Newmarket is also a time the children to shine.
Each year the boys and girls of both national schools in the town put on Christmas shows which are as colourful as they are imaginative. Yes, the shows do feature the story of the Nativity but there much more on show besides. Needless to say, the two shows are performed much to the delight of parents, grand parents cousins and teachers, as well as anyone else who wishes to go along.
This year, first up it’s the pupils of the Newmarket Girls National School with their offering in St. Mary’s Church on Thursday, December 13th starting at 7pm. The Infants, First and Second Classes will perform ‘ The Whoops a Daisy Angel’ while Third and Fourth Classes will stage ‘ The Sleepy Shepherd’, and Fifth and Sixth Classes will tell the story of The Nativity.
Five days later, the pupils of Newmarket Boys National School stage their offering, again in St. Mary’s Church, on Tuesday, December 18, where the Infants will perform ‘ The Sleepy Shepherd’. First and Second Classes will perform ‘ The Grinch’, while Third and Fourth Classes will stage their ‘Christmas - Why do we do that?’ Finally, Fifth and Sixth Classes will round off the school performances with ‘ The Babbling Banshees’.
With just over a week to go to the big day, the national schools’ shows sound like the perfect seasonal fare once again.
The opening of a ‘ badly needed’ extension at Newmarket Girls National School earlier this year has meant that the town, and district, now has two excellent schools that are well set up for serving the needs of the area.
The extension at the girls school involved a major revamp of the facilities there and comes not so long after facilities at Newmarket Boys NS were upgraded in recent years.
Local county councillor Gerard Murphy pointed out that both schools are now well set up to serve the needs of the area. “These are two excellent schools and they are both very well run,” said Cllr Murphy, adding: “and the pupils coming out of those schools go on to do very well at second level education and beyond, which is a testament to their primary schooling.”
He also pointed out that the boys school, and community generally, has greatly benefited from the upgrading of the adjacent West End Park, which now boasts a playing pitch and children’s playground as well as two tennis courts.