125 Years... and the song that almost made me cry

Last night our parish celebrated our 125th anniversary!  There was a packed-full church for the mass, and, afterward, the school (alumni, students, teachers, volunteers) put on an hour-long program full of songs and narration telling the story of St. Joe's from the day the church was built, when it burned down, when it was rebuilt, and taught us all about the history of the school.  It was very well put together, complete with costumes!

Some highlights that really made me smile and I don't ever want to forget:

The pre-schoolers, such tiny little people, represented 1890 when the the first school opened.  They were dressed as little lambs and looking just a little intimidated. They bravely got up in front of this fairly large audience and sang loud and clear, the traditional "Mary Had a Little Lamb", while looking wide-eyed at their teacher, who was dressed as Mary.

The 2nd graders represented 1912 and the new school building, dressed as baseball players, singing "Take Me out to the Ballgame".

1953 and the first hot lunch was represented by the 4th graders, who sang "A Spoonful of Sugar", from Mary Poppins!

The 1st graders were adorable, all dressed as saints!  The costumes were great.  And, of course they marched up singing "When the Saints Go Marching In".

But the one song that really caught me off guard and made me laugh so much and smile so big and brought tears to my eyes... was when the kindergartners (our Estella included) went up representing 1987 when 1/2 day kindergarten first began.  They sang the most sweetest song called "Kindergarten Wall".  It started out with just the little kindergartners singing these sweet, sweet lyrics:

"When I was a little kid not so long ago
I had to learn a lot of stuff I didn't even know

How to dress myself, tie my shoes, how to jump a rope
How to smile for a picture without looking like a dope

But of all the things I learned my favorite of them all
Was a little poem hanging on the kindergarten wall

Of all you learn here remember this the best:
Don't hurt each other and clean up your mess

Take a nap everyday, wash before you eat
Hold hands, stick together, look before you cross the street

And remember the seed in the little paper cup:
First the root goes down and then the plant grows up!"

I was in the middle of fighting tears when we were all surprised to see the oldest students - the 6th graders - who are moving on from St. Joe's next year, walk up and join the kindergartners! All of those little people turned and looked up to watch them sing this verse :

"Well, it was first, second, third grade, fourth grade, too
Where I had to learn the big things the big kids do

To add, subtract, and multiply, read and write and play
How to sit in a little uncomfortable desk for nearly half a day

But of all they taught me my favorite of them all
Was the little poem hanging on the kindergarten wall."

I couldn't believe it!  It was the sweetest thing!

But then there was yet another surprise!  The TEACHERS and even some alumni walked up there!  They stood up there joining the youngest and oldest students. Those little kindergarteners and the bigger 6th graders turned and watched their elders sing:

"But lately I've been worried as I look around and see
An awful lot of grown-ups acting foolish as can be

Now I know there's lots of things to know I haven't mastered yet
But it seems there's real important stuff that grown-ups soon forget

So I'm sure we'd all be better off if we would just recall
That little poem hanging on the kindergarten wall"

It was SO NEAT!!!  It ranked right up there with when Maria was, I believe, in preschool when they invited the mommys in for a little performance. Each little one stood in front of us mommys, and they held on to their own beautiful little handmade box, and sang to us, "I wish I had a little box to put my mommy in, I'd bring her out, go kiss kiss kiss, and put her back again."  That was another moment I will never forget.

Click here to hear the actual song "The Kinderten Wall"