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Westminster School at Oak Mountain students perform on Thursday, Jan. 9, during a rehearsal for the annual Variety Show, which was held Friday, Jan. 10. (PHOTOS FOR THE REPORTER/DAWN HARRISON)

NORTH SHELBY – Westminster School at Oak Mountain students sang and danced to help their peers during the annual Variety Show on Friday, Jan. 10.

Proceeds from the event typically benefit the school’s mission focus for the year, but this year’s show benefitted the Rachel Green Fund, which supports Westminster students, and their families in need.

The fund’s namesake was an eighth grade student at Westminster who died from leukemia at age 16.

“Not a day goes by that we don’t miss her and think about when we will see her again,” read the Variety Show program. “The Rachel Green Fund was established to remember Rachel and to enable families to have their children experience this wonderful school. All money contributed to the fund goes to student assistance. It is a worthy tribute to a very special girl.

“The [family’s] desire has been that this fund help families whose circumstances could not be captured in a financial aid application or a simple logarithm. These circumstances might include but are not limited to, loss of a job, a career change, loss of a spouse, the burden of medical expenses, the effects of natural disasters and adoption. To date, 38 families have been supported and encouraged through the Rachel Green Fund.”

The Variety Show, which was held in the sanctuary of Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church, featured 20 acts performed by about 100 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, Coordinator Liza Kinsley said.

Though the Variety Show has always been open to the entire school, Upper School students typically were unable to participate because of conflicts with sports and other extracurricular activities.

But this year, an earlier date for the Variety Show allowed older students to join in, including seniors performing “Rivers and Roads.”

Other noteworthy acts included sisters, a kindergartener and third grader, singing the “Sister” song from “White Christmas,” and four siblings along with their father singing “Some of It.”

“It’s really just up to them,” Kinsley said about the student performances. “Some of their parents help them. For the larger groups there is usually a mom or dad who coordinates it. They practice over Christmas break or whenever they can find time, and in December they audition in front of four judges who are not affiliated with the school. We take the top scored acts from that.”

Tickets were sold for $5, and ticket sales along with donations yielded $8,000 for the Rachel Green Fund.

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