Chariho High School students create video performance of Christmas carols for Westerly Hospital patients and staff

WESTERLY, RI (Dec. 30, 2020) – Undeterred by the recent snow storm, rain, wind and a global pandemic, students from Chariho High School Vocal Select produced a video performance of Christmas carols sung outdoors on the high school campus, socially distanced and wearing masks. Students Alex Celico and Christian Sullivan produced the video for nurses to show to patients through iPads or iPhones.

Said Mabel Payne from Volunteer Services, “For several years, students from the Chariho High School Vocal Select have been spreading holiday cheer to our patients at staff at Westerly Hospital by performing beautiful Christmas carols, a tradition we all look forward to. Knowing that the group would be prevented from singing at the hospital this year, the Chariho High School Chorus director Lynn Dowding and I came up with a way to that the students could safely carry on this wonderful tradition.”

Notes Dowding, “This project is a great example of how our students persevered during this pandemic and used their music to carry them through. We are so excited to be able to get our music out in the community in this form, especially to hospital workers and patients. I hope it will be an uplifting experience for all who view it. Since we were not able to do any caroling this year, it means so much to my students that you want to share this with everyone. I am so proud of all my students. A true example of the Christmas and community spirit in this difficult time.”

View the performance

Westerly Hospital, a member of Yale New Haven Health, is a 125-bed hospital that has been providing residents of southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut with a full range of inpatient and outpatient services in a community hospital setting for more than 90 years. Westerly Hospital patients receive the finest quality treatment in the following areas of care: emergency, medical, surgical, radiology, laboratory and rehabilitative services. The hospital also offers heart and vascular care, interventional pain management, wound care, pulmonary rehabilitation services, inpatient geriatric psychiatric care and comprehensive cancer care provided through the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center. All inpatient rooms are private. westerlyhospital.org