By: Naomi Etienne

The Mt. Hebron Winter Assembly is a much-anticipated holiday tradition that happens every year. Students and staff gather in the auditorium and receive the gift of art and performances from the Mt. Hebron art department, including the band, orchestra, choir, musical theater, dance companies, guitar, and more.

Before the performance, the stage crew and performers went through weeks of preparation to deliver a smooth performance.

Mt. Hebron Senior Erin Gustafson shared how she and other members of the stage crew prepare, stating, “We do most of the prep work before the winter concert and program all the lighting cues into the presets (buttons backstage) beforehand.”

“I work with stage management to make sure everyone gets on the stage at the right time and make sure everything runs smoothly backstage,” Gustafson continued.

Members of Mt. Hebron Senior Dance Company prepared differently and found preparations this year have been a little easier for the dance program.

“We’re performing two dances that we’ve already done before, so we are pretty prepared in that sense,” Hynes said. “Since we have done both of the dances previously, it’s kind of like preparing for the dance concerts,” she continued.

The Winter Assembly invites collaboration and community amongst the student body as all different types of art students come together to perform and showcase the talents that roam the Mt. Hebron halls.

“We are doing a performance with the entire arts department in which the dancers have to sing. It is cool to have a big performance with all of us in it, it being chorus, musical theater, guitar, etc,” said Mt. Hebron Senior Lancer Lainey Hynes.

Additionally, with all the arts programs joining together, students are learning a lot about each other and the interests of their peers.

“I like the winter assembly a lot because it gives us the opportunity to show what we do to people that wouldn’t necessarily come to the concerts on their own,” said Hynes.

Delivering a well-received performance on Dec. 21, the Winter Assembly showcased the talents of Mt. Hebron while inviting more students to join the art department next year.