Southeast of Saline’s annual Hanging of the Greens is our students and faculty’s time to shine. This talent show has been held every year since the 1989-1990 school year, Mr. Anderson’s first year as Student Council sponsor.

Mr. Anderson started the Hanging of the Greens tradition after being inspired by his professor, Kaye Dudley. She was a big figure in the school district, specifically in campaigning for the current building built on K-4. As the featured performer, Professor Dudley entranced the audience with exciting tales while other school groups, such as the Madrigals, also performed. That first year, the talent show was small, but the Trojans enjoyed it, so the tradition continued. 

In the following years, the audience got smaller as more people started performing instead. Teachers hosted, lunch ladies sang songs together, and students showed off what they did best. Mr. Anderson says that he likes it, “When people who don’t get much attention at school are willing to step out of their shell and get up and do something in front of the whole audience.”

Hanging of the Greens wasn’t always the last day of school before Christmas break though. Previously, it was toward the beginning of December. Hanging of the Greens was named to mark the beginning of the holiday season. 

Some of Mr. Anderson’s favorite acts have been Mrs. Baird’s “O’ Holy Night,” when the cooks sang together, poems, and when the teachers did the “12 Pains of Christmas.” The craziest one he watched was when a girl wore an interesting costume while singing “Santa Baby” on top of the piano. 

Mr. Anderson describes Hanging of the Greens as, “What makes Southeast, Southeast.” He is proud of the Student Council for keeping the tradition going. He hopes the Trojans continue to enjoy the show and want to continue it for many years.