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Durant High School senior choir members were recognized at a recent meeting of the Durant Board of Education. Front row, left, Dallas Williams, Kyia Dalton, Chloe Henderson, Marlen Ortiz, Jaygen Guilbeau, Haley McNeill, and director, Heather McNeill. Back row, left, director Hannah McDonald, Matthew Duren and Tanner Piearcy. Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat
Senior members of the Durant High School Choir were recognized during a recent Durant Board of Education meeting.
The board approved a request by choir instructor Heather McNeill to take 13 choir students and nine sponsors to Denver, Colorado, to attend the SWACDA National Honor Choirs and Conference Feb. 28-March 3.
McNeill said this past fall was a busy time for the choir which included auditioning for honor choirs.
“We had two beautiful concerts and many football games by these beautiful seniors who are in the choir,” McNeill said.
They also made many performances in Durant and the county.
“We got to perform for Retired Bryan County Educators group a couple of times at Roma’s and that was a lot fun, and last but not least, our performance Seussical that we got to perform for the community and also for our elementary schools which is a lot of fun, and most of these faces that you see were in that,” McNeill said.
She said the spring semester started very fast and the choirs traveled to Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
“We’ll travel to Denver, Colorado, at the end of February, Lord willing, and that has to be on a plane,” McNeill said. “We had probably 30 high school students audition for the National Regional Honor Choir … we had at least 13 high school students make it and seven Durant Intermediate School students made it. So we’re taking several kids to Denver.”
Broadway Lights will be in March.
“Ms. McDonald has been leading the cast for Broadway Lights and they are getting ready and it’s an all ladies cast along with our DIS choir and our DMS show choir.”
The choirs will have time off during spring break.
“There is not an off season for choir,” McNeill said. “When I signed up for that, I thought there might be. There’s not, but it’s okay because there is always something new and exciting for them to do. I want to stop and just say thank you and I want them to say thank you because I am constantly talking up this district to my friends in the state and beyond the state, and telling them how rich in talent we have from our little bitties to all the way to our seniors.
“But the talent level in this district alone is enormous and it’s huge, and we just do everything we can to give them opportunities to compete, to show off their talents, to perform, and so we try to do all those different things for them and because of that, that’s why there is no off season.”
She said the number of choir members in middle school has grown exponentially with 86 girls in choir this year. There are approximately 80 students in high school choirs this year.
The choirs have been invited to Branson, Missouri, at the end of the school year.
“I just want to say thank you for how you support the program because I think the vocal music program at Durant High School, Durant Middle School and Durant Intermediate School and all the way down is just supported, loved, cared for and we like to get out and show them off as much as possible,” McNeill said.
Superintendent Duane Merideth said, “I think I speak for everyone here. Thank you for all of the work you have done and all the time you put in, directors and students. We know how much work it is, or we think we do. We probably don’t, but we thank you for all your efforts.”
Board members also approved the Durant High School Key Club to attend the LED Con-District Convention April 25-28 in Denton, Texas. Twenty students, one teacher and three Kiwanis Club members will be attending.