School song selection irks Jackson woman
BY JOYCE BLAY
Staff Writer

JACKSON — The music of the season hit a sour note with resident Marilyn McPolin.

McPolin told members of the Board of Education at their Dec. 21 meeting that she had attended a holiday concert on Dec. 6 at the Fine Arts Center of Jackson Memorial High School. Fifth-graders from the Johnson School performed a program of songs described as “Old Fashioned Holidays,” but which McPolin said was notable for what it did not include.

“I couldn’t help but notice during the program that there were no (religious) Christmas songs,” she said later.

The chorus performed “Old Fashioned Holiday,” “Hanukkah Is Here,” “Reindeer Rap,” “Santa Gets Your Letter,” a piano solo of “Greensleeves,” “Spin Spin Spin,” “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Deck the Hall for All,” “Keep the Candles Going” and “A Song of Peace,” according to the program McPolin gave to the Tri-Town News.

McPolin said she found the program cover just as conspicuous for its absence of Christian religious symbols, even though a Hanukkah menorah was included with illustrations of bells, a gingerbread man, a snowman and a wrapped present.

“Was this deliberate?” she asked the board.

Lu Anne Meinders, assistant superintendent of schools, told the board she “was in the audience for that particular concert. The concert was not as comprehensive as [I would have liked].”

Board member Gus Acevedo defended the selections in the program, but indicated there were legal concerns in their compilation.

“This district is not afraid of mentioning Christ, Jehovah or Buddha,” he told McPolin. “Whatever faith we are, we are being faithful when we follow the laws of the United States.”

McPolin reminded the board members that Christmas was a federal holiday signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1870.

Board Vice President Martin Spiel-man disagreed with McPolin’s assertion that the selection of any district concert songs appeared to be biased against Christians.

“I happen to be of the Jewish faith and I saw nothing wrong with the Christian songs performed at the concert I attended” at the Holman School, he said. “The children were exposed to concert songs that were in good taste, no matter what their faith.”

McPolin said it struck her as odd that the names of most of the children performing in the concert she attended were Irish or Italian, even though the majority of selections they sang celebrated a Jewish holiday.

“I think at least one Christmas song should have been performed” at the concert, she said.

Acevedo said there was a more important issue involved.

“The children had a great time; that’s what counts,” he said.

When asked later if she was satisfied with the board’s response to her question, McPolin said that depended on whether or not future concerts included religious Christmas songs in addition to those of other religions.

“If you’re going to sing about Hanukkah and you’re going to have a picture of a menorah on the program, then [Christian songs and] symbols [for Christmas] should be [included, too],” she said. “[The chorus] could have sung ‘Away in a Manger’ or ‘Silent Night’ — they could have sung something for Christians, too. Or was it just a Jewish concert?”

School district spokeswoman Allison Erwin responded to McPolin’s comments the day after the board meeting.

“The omission of songs with a more religious overtone was an oversight,” Erwin said. “The principal did have a role in selecting the music, but any omission of Christmas music was an oversight. I just hope that this omission doesn’t diminish the enjoyment that both children and adults took away from this concert.”