THE SONGS WE SING TOGETHER

During the Pageant rehearsal, generations of Cougars come together to sing and celebrate the Collegiate spirit.

Liz Everett Cherkis ’86 always begins to heave with emotion when the Upper School girls Glee Club and Middle School Balcony Chorus sing “Adoration of the Magi” at Pageant. The intensity of Cherkis’s response is deep and inexplicable, but she knows it has something to do with the past and how, when the chorus begins singing, she recalls her own involvement with the performance.

Coming to Collegiate her Junior year, Cherkis participated in Pageant only once, playing as the adoration angel her Senior year. Her sister, Rachel Everett ’92, once played the role of the wise king, and Cherkis’s daughter, Bailey Cherkis ’23, has been involved in Pageant since 5th Grade. “Pageant is a tradition in my family,” Cherkis explains. “I love each performance, especially because I’m reminded of my time at Collegiate and my family’s connection to the School. That generational involvement makes the whole thing really special.”

Held since the early days of the Collegiate School for Girls on Monument Avenue, Pageant tells the Christmas story entirely through music, with the Middle and Upper School chorus groups singing as students costumed as cherubs, angels, shepherds, kings, and Mary and Joseph reenact the birth of Jesus.

Among the members of the audience during the Pageant rehearsal is Cristy Jarvis ’68, who is watching her granddaughter, a 5th Grader, perform for the first time this year. An alumna and former parent, Jarvis sits in the pews of All Saints Episcopal Church, wearing a silver halo, enraptured and singing along to all the songs she once recited herself as a student during her days at Collegiate. “I just love the music of Pageant, and I love singing along to each song,” she says, a smile breaking across her face as she takes in the stagecraft and the warm atmosphere.

For Jarvis, observing the pomp of Collegiate’s Pageant is a way to both reminisce with fellow alumni and connect with current students. “It’s fun to come back and see every generation participate in something you yourself participated in,” she says. “It’s special to have these kinds of events that bring alumni back and keep us involved in everything happening at the School.”

Daisy Storey ’23 recalls one of the first parts she played in the Pageant, when, in 7th Grade, she assumed the role of a shepherd interacting with the herald angel. This year, with Daisy performing as herald angel, the role of shepard she played years ago takes on a special resonance. It’s as if all those years of rehearsals, friendships, songs and performances are being reflected back to her. “I’ve really been reminded how much we’ve all grown up with this tradition,” she says. “This year, as I watch the performances, I’ve been seeing girls play roles that I used to play, and I think, Oh my gosh, that used to be me, and look at how much I’ve grown since then.”

Daisy’s grandmother Anne Dobbins Brasfield ’65, her mother Mollie Storey ’92 and her sister Lucy Storey ’22 have all taken part in the Pageant, which adds weight to the significance of her performance. During rehearsal, with generations of Cougars gathered to take part in the event, Daisy felt the entirety of the Collegiate spirit up on stage. “I think for alumni to come back and watch us perform at Pageant says a lot about Collegiate’s value of connection,” Daisy says. “It’s reassuring to know that even after I graduate I’ll still be connected to everyone at the School. These shared experiences make us a stronger community.”