Every year the Becton Performing Arts Program puts on a show for the Wildcat Community: the Holiday Spectacular! This year, however, the event was made even more extravagant. With the help of the various instructors at Becton, families were immersed in a Winter Wonderland filled with music, dancing, food, and tons of hot chocolate!  

Mr. Thomas Sansone, one of the school’s newest staff members, and Mrs. Rebecca Cruz, head of the theatre club, were the main organizers of the event. With only about 6 weeks to practice, Sansone, and Cruz were able to pull it all together. One may wonder where the idea for this amazing event started. Sansone explains that the Becton Performing Arts, “…was encouraged by Dr. Sforza to present a winter performance. The music portion of this endeavor was directed to me, the theatre aspect to Rebecca Cruz, and the dance aspect to Ashlee Tancredi.” Becton is definitely emphasizing the performing arts programs, allowing students to showcase their creativity and talent.

The music level between middle schoolers and high schoolers is highly diverse. As you get into high school, you learn more about music theory and different ways to enhance your playing and/or singing. However, Sansone found the process of teaching the music for both band and choir to run smoothly. He received valuable help from Jeff Schweikadt, working with the band, and Diane Schweikardt, working with the choir, from A.S. Faust Middle School. Mr. Schweikardt did his best to work with the middle school band students to help them with the challenging music. He also added that much of the help can be contributed to the, “…middle schoolers learning from the high schoolers and being mentored.” Sansone believes this in turn drew up more of a sense of community for Becton and its future students. 

Furthermore, Ashlee Tancredi worked very hard with the dance group to put together a challenging Roquette number, and pulled through! Erol Yilmaz, a student who participated in band, dance, and singing, expressed his journey in meeting the demands on the Roquette number. “Dance was a challenge as I am not a dancer,” he says, “but with the help of our choreographer we were able to do it well and it turned out to be so much fun.” Dancing can be very difficult, especially with the intricacies of getting into the right position at the right time and being in sync with the people around you. The dancers were able to quickly learn the moves, however, to keep it all ingrained in their minds and bodies, more practice was essential. He elucidated that, “…originally [practice] was twice a week, but then we decided to run practice every single day after [band and choir] practice and it worked out well.” Now that’s dedication! In addition, along with our amazing dancers, a ballet company was asked to join in on the fun. “Rebecca Cruz was approached by the owner of the ballet studio, who asked if they could perform with us,” explained Sansone. They performed a breathtaking number as guests walked into the auditorium and did more throughout the show. A solo ballerina danced on stage as the band and choir performed “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy.” 

Finally, no one can forget the wonderful food made by the culinary department! Families were able to relax right before the show with delectable snacks and delicious hot cocoa. Alexander Ochoa, a Becton Junior, was one of many culinary students who assisted in the food preparations. They made intricate, and festive treats such as little reindeers that were made of brownies and pretzels, to a green beverage called the Grinch Drink. Ochoa explained that “…it took two days or so to get all the food together.” He also mentioned that the Cubanos, a Cuban sandwich made of sliced ham, pulled pork, cheese, pickles, and mustard, was the most popular delicacy made by the students!

Although they had a short amount of time to prepare, the Becton Performing Arts team was able to pull together an spectacular show that made the community come together. Families were able to share some time right before the holidays with one another and truly bask in the holiday spirit!