It was a Tennessee Country Christmas celebration at the Southwest Campus pavilion and students dressed the part in cowboy and cowgirl gear.
In a scene that resembled that of a Texas-style shindig, hundreds of students danced to such tunes as “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree,” “Santa Train,” “Feels Like Christmas,” “White Christmas,” “Cowboys and Angels,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.”
There also was activity in the Southwest Campus cafeteria, where similar performances delighted the audience of parents and staff.
Dr. M. Annette Cluff welcomed the crowd to the campus and first-grader Shenecya Tolbert was the mistress of ceremony. In carrying out their performances, some students assumed the names of the Varnett Rockettes and the Kinder and 1st Two Steppers.
At both venues, Varnett held a moment of silence for the victims of the mass shootings Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Dr. Cluff told parents that safety is the No. 1 priority at Varnett and the district is reviewing its safety policy in the wake of the shootings.