'Jingle Bells’ Canceled: Why Song Is Off This School’s Nice List

Megan VerHelst
Updated ·5 min read
People wait on line to get tested for COVID-19 in New York City. More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to the highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)
People wait on line to get tested for COVID-19 in New York City. More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to the highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Thursday, Dec. 30, and welcome to the end of a second consecutive holiday week. It’s hard to believe 2022 is just around the corner. One thing to look forward to next year is another full slate of supermoons and meteor showers. Want to plan ahead? See what’s in store.

Meanwhile, here are other headlines we’re following today:

  • New daily cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to the highest level on record.

  • He was a boxer. He knew how to dance, but Harry Reid was fond of reminding his opponents that he knew how to fight, too.

  • Gabby Petito's belongings will be returned to her family in the wake of a legal claim filed in Florida court.

  • "Star Trek" actor George Takei spoke out in response to a Rhode Island lawmaker's controversial tweet.

After she discovered "Jingle Bells" was performed publicly for the first time by white actors wearing blackface, Kyna Hamill had no idea her scholarly paper would be used to silence the holiday classic in an elementary school.

But it was.

And Hamill, a professor and director of Boston University's Core Curriculum, can't quite believe the dustup her work caused at Council Rock Primary School in Brighton, New York. Hamill said that while the song’s origin should be discussed, it should still be sung and enjoyed for what it means today.

Kevin McGowan, the Brighton Central Schools superintendent, doesn't think so. Still, he’s fielded complaints that removing "Jingle Bells" from the elementary music curriculum was "liberalism gone amok," "cancel culture at its finest" or political indoctrination.

"Is singing the song 'Jingle Bells' so important that it outweighs the question about its past or its potential to not be inclusive in a variety of ways?" McGowan wrote in an open letter posted to the district’s website. "If many, many songs are available to accomplish the same objective, then why wouldn't we use those songs? I think our teachers answered that question very thoughtfully and I'm proud of their work." » 'Cancel Culture'? Or 'Liberalism Run Amok?' School Explains Why It Silenced 'Jingle Bells', via Rochester, New York, Patch

COVID Cases Soar To Record

More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to the highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average, a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant. The previous mark was 250,000 cases per day, set in mid-January, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University. » New COVID-19 Cases In U.S. Soar To Highest Levels On Record, via Across America Patch

Sen. Harry Reid Dead At 82

He was an accomplished amateur boxer who'd rather dance. But Harry Reid was fond of reminding his opponents that he knew how to fight, too. That skill took him far. Reid, who died Tuesday at 82 after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer, was one of Congress' most skilled negotiators and served as majority leader from 2007 to 2015. » Harry Reid, Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Dies At 82, via Across America Patch

Football’s John Madden Dies

John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster who became one of the most recognizable voices on television over several decades, died Tuesday morning, the NFL announced. He was 85. Madden rose to fame as the coach of the Oakland Raiders, leading the renegade team to its first Super Bowl victory in 1977. Madden first retired in 1979 and joined CBS. In his time as a broadcaster, he won 16 Emmy Awards and became known for his exuberant calls combined with simple explanations. » CA's John Madden, Famed Coach And Broadcaster, Dies At 85, via Across California Patch

First Puppy Photos Released

President Joe Biden's new puppy, Commander, was taken out in public for the first time after he was introduced last week in a Twitter post that read, "Meet the Newest Biden." On Tuesday, Biden and first lady Jill Biden took Commander out for a walk along Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, as photographers from the White House press corps documented the event. » Photos: Biden's New German Shepherd Pup Is Aptly Named Commander, via Across America Patch

President Joe Biden prepares to throw a ball as he walks with his dog Commander in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
President Joe Biden prepares to throw a ball as he walks with his dog Commander in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

Around ‘The Patch’

House Hunting

Fully fenced in and set perfectly on 13 parklike acres, this resort-like property in Greenwich, Connecticut, offers an abundance of privacy and amenities such as an expansive terrace, private dock and swimming pool.

This Day In History

In 1986, the British government announced that electronic sensors would begin to replace canaries as early-warning detectors of carbon monoxide in coal mines.

Find Your Patch

Patch is in more than 1,000 communities across America. Find your community and see what's happening outside your front door.

This article originally appeared on the Across America Patch