By Khalida Sarwari
Long after school had let out for the weekend, a flurry of students in Santa hats spilled out of the Argonaut Elementary School auditorium and set off walking in the directions of Ljepava, Shadow Mountain and Miljevich drives, fueled by cookies and hot chocolate.
Dressed in red sweaters and scarves and bearing small gifts they’d made by hand earlier that afternoon, the Shadow Mountain group stopped at the first house on its route and knocked on the door.
“We’re from Argonaut and we have a holiday song for you,” announced fourth-grader Madelyn “Maddie” Hubb before she and her classmates launched into an uneven but spirited rendition of “Jingle Bells.”
A beaming Stephanie Shi pulled out her cell phone and held it up to record the kids, while her husband, Dennis Chin, stood behind her, wearing an amused smile. As soon as the kids belted out, “Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!” Shi handed her phone to her husband and stepped down to pose for a photo with the group.
“Today is a surprise,” said Shi. “It’s great; it’s the holiday spirit, it makes us feel good.”
Not wasting a moment, the group made their way through the dark street and stopped to surprise another family with a round of “Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer.”
At the third house, they encountered Mackenzie Crase and her dog, Kingston, who just moments prior were enjoying a quiet Friday night at home. While the kids sang “Deck The Halls,” Kingston escaped and ran into the arms of excited children.
“It was a nice treat,” admitted Crase, a Saratoga High alum who now attends the University of San Francisco. “I haven’t heard carolers in a long time.”
John Nielson took a break from an exciting Golden State Warriors-Boston Celtics game that had gone into overtime to open the door for the group. After the introductions had been made, Nielson, his wife, Jincy, and their mixed-breed maltipoo, Sweet Lou–sitting comfortably in his owner’s arms–were treated to “Frosty the Snowman.”
“Yay! That was awesome,” Nielson exclaimed before heading back to his living room to watch the remainder of the game. “We get them every year,” he said. “I love the spirit.”
Kelly Gangemi, a kindergarten teacher who’s been at Argonaut for 17 years, is the organizer behind the school’s annual holiday caroling event. She started the program seven years ago as a way to get the students out into their communities and acquainted with their neighbors.
“A lot of times in today’s world, you drive through Saratoga’s streets, the kids are very quiet, and this just gets the kids back to ringing doorbells, knowing their neighbors,” she said.
This year’s event was held Dec. 11 with the help of Saratoga Education Foundation president Tamami Honma, whose 10-year-old son, Ethan Cotta, attended Argonaut and is now enrolled at Redwood Middle School. This past summer, Ethan was named the state junior ambassador after competing in Youth Focus’ California State Youth Accolades Scholarship Competition. About 70 kids participated in the caroling event, among them Gangemi’s fourth-grade daughter, Ryder, who has gone caroling every year since she was in kindergarten. “Jingle Bells” and “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” are her favorite songs to sing, she said.
“We go outside and we sing the songs to the neighbors,” she said with a giggle. ” Sometimes they’re like, ‘Go away!’ and sometimes they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, hi!'”
Link: Elementary school students carol their way through the neighborhood
