Stewart Manor's play brings holiday delight to all

Just in time for the holidays, Elmont School District sixth-graders in the Drama Club at Stewart Manor School took to the stage to perform in the school’s annual play, “SOS from Santa: Emergency in Holiday Land.”

The Dec. 20 show, presented before a full audience, also featured students in the orchestra, band and chorus performing an array of holiday- and winter-themed songs throughout the evening.

Principal Hope Kranidis explained that the holiday play is a Stewart Manor tradition started 58 years ago by recently retired teacher Jerry Georgi. “We are dedicating this evening’s performance to him,” she said.

The play, directed by Drama Club advisers Christina DeCastro and Nicole Termini, is a comedic look at the friends in Holiday Land – iconic holiday figures such as Peter Cottontail, Uncle Sam and the Pilgrims – coming together to help Santa Claus in a time of need. Themes of love, joy, giving and teamwork resonated from the production, teaching the students the importance of friendship during the holidays and throughout the year. The actors and actresses ended the performance by singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” to a thrilled audience.

“We usually have a wonderful sell-out crowd with standing room only,” Ms. Kranidis said. “It really builds great school spirit and it’s a fantastic program.” She also noted that sixth-grade parents sold raffles at the performance to raise money for the student activity fund.