By Shayla Crow
Imagine a call or an email saying that your class is able to perform at the presidential inauguration. This would be a huge performance that only a few schools have gotten the chance to do.
Since COVID-19 started, it has been taking away multiple opportunities but also giving some for some people. Many have lost big performances like the Delta High School choir.
The school’s choir was almost able to go to Washington, D.C., and perform at the inauguration.
The inauguration of President Joe Biden was on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
The choir teacher, Ms. Elana Camp, found out about the invitation to perform at the inauguration one year earlier in January 2020. They raised funds and planned for the trip, but then in July 2020 it unfortunately was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Many students and even teachers agree that going to Washington, D.C., and performing would have been a great opportunity for those students in the choir and it would also have been great recognition for Delta.
Junior Janay Cicotte says that they were disappointed the trip was cancelled because of the trip being a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Junior Ali Bailey says, “This was a big opportunity for us, but with everything going on it was better for us not to go.”
The choir students and Camp were upset that they no longer had the chance to go but they all made peace with that because the choir is more than these special performances.
Camp says, “The really amazing things happen every day.”
She says choir is not much about trips and concerts but about developing and seeing one’s own growth each day with something that they are passionate about.
She says you could have a great choir group and never go on a trip somewhere.
These trips also cost $1,000 per student at least. For the inauguration trip, the students had raised money for themselves. That money is being saved for potential future trips.
Many students went on a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., in Spring 2019 and they enjoyed the trip. Bailey says, “It was one of the best experiences that I’ve been a part of.”
Cicotte agrees with her statement.
“The highlight of the trip to Disney World was when Ethan Shipley got stuck between the seats on the bus due to an abrupt stop, and was completely upside down and folded over,” Cicotte says.
The choir students that did go to Disney sang, “Thito,” “I Loved All Lovely Things,” and “The Old Grey Mill.” They sang in front of roughly 100 people.
Due to COVID multiple changes have been made to the choir this year. Some students do not like the changes, but they say that they are necessary and will help keep them safe while still enjoying their class.
One change is that the class has been relocated to the auditorium, which is much larger than the choir room.
Everyone is more spread out so that they can have their mask down and be able to truly sing. Cicotte says, however, that the acoustics are not as good as in the choir room.
Despite the students being disappointed at losing this once-in-a-lifetime chance they have made peace with it and are still living their lives.