Carol at the Contest

On the fifteenth and sixteenth of March, the choir competed rigorously in contests against other choirs around southeast Missouri school districts to see who would win the right to go to the state choir contests. The contest scores are based on a scale of 1-5, one being the highest and five being the lowest.

The Fredericktown High School choir, directed by Mrs. Lisa Lewis, typically does very well in this area, receiving ones and twos, and really hit our expectations this year as the contest choir received a one and the women’s choir received a two. What was really great was the number of ones our solos received. Three soloists – Daniel Renshaw, Wyatt Hurley, and Haley Dockins – received ones this year for their stunning performances.

The two freshmen who received ones, Haley Dockins and Wyatt Hurley, were very proud of their accomplishments; receiving a one means being able to participate in state contest later on in the year. Wyatt Hurley says, “I’m very excited,” with the widest grin covering his face. Haley is also excited but she’s also very nervous about how musically inclined the state judges will expect them to be.

Both Haley and Wyatt are looking forward to having careers in singing after high school. Haley wants to make it big with singing and does many competitions. She even admitted to being asked multiple times to perform the national anthem for various events. Wyatt is hoping to one day make it to Broadway, a long time dream of his that is being fueled by his years of choir.

We also had a few soloists make twos this year: Alyssa Pierson, Danielle Campbell, Katy Evans and Haley Gilmore. Haley Gilmore was the surprise though; she’s made ones every year since her freshman year. When asked if she was upset about not receiving a one her senior year, she answered with, “Obviously I was upset because I’d never made a two at that level, but it kind of opened my eyes to what I can change about myself  for college next year.” Daniel Renshaw, her fellow choir member and a recipient of the score of one, says that he didn’t deserve the one—she did.

Haley Gilmore, Daniel, and Wyatt agreed that the best part of the competition was when the concert choir performed because they were so good for once that they actually made Mrs. Lewis cry. Haley Dockins says that the best part of the contest is finding new friends from other choirs and getting to perform in front of those other choirs so you can receive tips on what to do better. All the students agree that the most difficult part of the contest was the sight-reading because you only had three minutes and it was stressful.

The two seniors, Haley Gilmore and Daniel Renshaw, say that next year they’ll miss the opportunity to perform at contest, especially Haley who concedes that it’s made her better as a person and stronger as a singer, even though Daniel admits that he won’t miss the stress of the competition. Daniel says he’ll miss being able to make choir friends next year because he met some of his best and closest friends through choir. Haley says she’ll miss the memories you make.

Both the seniors send their love to Mrs. Lewis, thanking her for the opportunity to work with her and for being there to relieve stress when they need it, and they also send love to their choir mates, wishing for them to continue doing what they love even if people tell them not to.