The decision to cancel the annual Christmas concerts for elementary schools in Park County School District 1 was not entered into lightly, according to Superintendent Jay Curtis.

“I wish there were a playbook for this pandemic,” Curtis said. “We are just trying to make the best decisions everyday.”

Early on the plan was to cancel all the programs, K-12. But differences in the programs for older students caused them to be added back to the calendar in October. One thing to consider was that performances are part of class assesssment — i.e. grades — and when variances were issued for attendance at school functions in Park County, the district felt it could hold those performances in accordance with public health guidelines. Recently those guidelines were ratcheted down again, meaning only 100 audience members can be accommodated in the Powell High School gym, which has a capacity of 1,200.

Typically the high school band has a more manageble number of members than the elementary classes.

“If we had 600 to 800 spectators in the auditorium, plus 200 kids, plus the staff needed, the logistics were just not adding up,” Curtis said. “And Southside and Westside could fill it [the auditorium] on both nights.” Those elementary schools split performances between the youngest students and higher grade levels.

The Westside, Parkside and Southside principals knew they would have to let their music teachers know about the performances by the beginning of October.

“When you take into account the restrictions for music — very limited singing with masks or no singing at all, more than 6 feet of distance between students — it didn’t seem likely that we would be able to prepare adequately for the holiday programs,” the principals wrote in an email to the Tribune. “And, now that COVID numbers have increased greatly, variances have been withdrawn and the number of people in a space has been restricted back to the original smaller numbers, elementary concerts would be almost impossible.”

“We just didn’t feel it would be safe for the spectators, students or staff,” Curtis said. “We really did not want to cancel anything. Performing enriches the educational program and they are such an important part of the community.”

The music programs have safety protocols in place, including spacing students, using masks as much as possible, washing and sanitizing hands, surfaces and instruments, or assigning instruments to a single student. In addition, the classes move outdoors as often as the weather permits, the elementary school leaders say. And they aren’t giving up hope for live performances for the next semester.

“It is our hope that things will settle down enough to consider hosting other traditional school activities in the spring,” the principals wrote.

The high school band and guitar concert was held Monday and the middle school concert is set for Monday, Dec. 7. The combined middle school-high school jazz concert will be at 7:30 p.m. on Dec 10 and the middle school choir concert is set for 7 p.m. Dec. 14.