The End of a Great Season

The show choir season has come to an end. The high school has two show choirs, Spirit and Millennium, who start learning their shows in late July and end their year performing at home for parents and friends in early March. 

The teams travel together to all of their competitions. This year, they have gone to Des Moines Christian, Ankeny Centennial, Urbandale, and North Liberty, and have performed at their events Parade of Show Choirs, Starstruck, and Palooza. Millennium placed Grand Champions at DMC and First Runner Up at every other competition, Spirit placed First Place in the Prep Division at both DMC and North Liberty, Second Place in Prep at Urbandale, and Fourth Runner Up at Ankeny Centennial. Senior Alexis Moore, a part of Millennium stated, “Not only did both groups receive recognition amongst some of the top Show Choir ensembles in the area, but we got to perform each time knowing that we were enjoying what we had to offer to the audience.” 

At Palooza, the show choirs go up in grade order until they end with Millennium. This is a very emotional time for seniors and their families and friends. Before Spirit performs, the directors introduce the seniors in Spirit, Millennium, and the band members, allowing them to be recognized for everything they’ve done throughout the season. The directors also present awards for every student in both groups for their accomplishments. Alexis Moore stated, “I’ve never imagined that seven years of dedication and fun would eventually come to an end, but it did, and it was the best way.” Before each performance, Millennium gets together into a big group circle and starts their chant to get them all hyped up for when they perform. With everyone that wants to show up, the school only has to have a certain number of people in the auditorium at a time, so out in the lunchroom there was a live stream showing the groups as they performed. 

Many students have a lot of great memories from this season. While many might say that winning in finals or getting first in prep has been their favorite, most students think of the experiences they’ve had as a whole group or with their friends. Junior Prince Jarbo, who is part of Spirit, stated, “My favorite part of the season was being at competitions because I was able to watch other groups perform their shows.” The band that travels with both Millennium and Spirit consists of more than just people from the school band, there are also students from Spirit who play in the Millennium band and people in Millennium who play in Spirit’s band. Sophomore Amelia McClean, who plays saxophone for Millennium band and is also a part of Spirit, stated, “My favorite part of the whole season was hanging out with friends in and out of rehearsals and comps.”

Overall the Waukee Show Choirs have had an amazing season this year, with so many fun moments during and after the performances. Having to make the music and choreo they were given and make it feel like their own show, by adding their personalities into the show. Alexis Moore stated, “Being given the opportunity to perform a show with such a range in both visual and vocal intensity and also emotional portrayal was an unforgettable experience, and it took a lot of time and thought to make it ‘our show’.”