Thornridge High School - Piper Yearbook (Dolton, IL)

Page 90 text:

Singers perform for good causes Raising spirits and spreading joy during the holiday season were the main goals of the TR Sing- ers. Traveling to grade schools, restaurants, ban- quets, and the Country Manor Nursing Home, the group made over twenty- five performances. HA large number of per- fonnances before Christ- mas made our season hec- tic but exciting. ln almost every performance the stu- dents were able to make it come to life, said Mrs. Ra- ren French, sponsor. l'The singers were always well-re- ceived and appreciated. They brought much joy to all who heard them. The fourteen singers were chosen because of their talent and their ability to perform. They perfected their singing and dance rou- tines by putting in long hours of practice. lt was difficult teaching the new TR Singers our moves and dance steps, but we made it through many hours of hard practice, said Stacy Broum, junior. It was really worth it to see the effect we had on the people, especially the little kids. - Although they did not eam any academic credit for their singing, the TR Singers received personal credit through the joy they gave to others. Right: TR Singers: Front Row: Tra- cy Turnbull, Martha Castellanos, Rim Livingston, Row 2: Danetta Hardy, Jinifir Campbell, Tammy Tyler: Row 5: Rim Rrikau, Stacy Brown, Plisha Drain, Beth Pfister: Back Row: Jon Jenkins, D.J. Ha- 86 TR Singers licky, John Rupeika, Bill Cook Above: The TR Singers spread holiday cheer at their Christmas concert. Top: Nisha Drain sang alto and Bill Cook bass with the TR Singers.

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. . 5 -W T- T A my is -wi f I A. Q. I K K ' 5 ,mamma M U .g. -.. as g Left: Group interpretation mem- bers, Jon Jenkins, Jodi Shipplett, Mario Melone, Mike Jones, Vennie Hemecek, and Henry Treftz, use fo- cal points and facial expression to bring the characters of Nick Dan- ger to life. Below: Jinifir Cambell, also a TR Singer, sang in the All-State Choir. Best compete on State leve Singing. Speaking. As the year ended, some of the best in these arts competed against others in the state to further shrink the pool of speech and music perfec- tionists. Five events qualified for state competition in individ- ual events, and Maurice Dailey and Carla Carey took fourth in dramatic duet act- ing. Others competing were Ann Linde, oratorical decla- mation, Beth Kujawski, ra- dio speaking, Vennie Neme- cek and Maurice, humor- ous duet acting, and Carla, dramatic interpretation. lt took a lot of effort, but it was worth the great feeling of winning for both myself and the team, said Carla. The contest play, Death and a King's Horseman, vwitten by an African play- wright, was set in a British colony in West Africa during WWII. Because the cast was large and racially mixed, Mr. Rob Nerius, director, felt it fulfilled a need for edu- cational theater to reflect the racial balance of the community it represented. The Further Adventures of Nick Danger was the year's group interpretation production. lt was a l94l ra- dio drama displayed as a comedy. In the music area, Jinilir Campbell and Chris Clark were named to All-State Choir. According to Mrs. Karen French, choir direc- tor, Z5O0 students from llli- nois were chosen to make up the Illinois All-State Hon- ors Choir. They went on to perform at the Illinois Music Educators Convention. 'lJinifir and Chris put a lot of effort individually and felt it was a very rewarding ex- perience, said Mrs. French. Whatever the placement of the speechies and musi- cians, it still remained an honor in itself to be chosen to perform state-wide. Fine Ants 85

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Below: Jazz Band: Front Row: Mr. Art Wasik tdirectorj, Priscilla Wil- liams, Markus Smith, Sue Scalzitti, Brian White: Row 2: Maurice Crowder, Vennie Nemecek, Kerri Haan: Row 5: Kevin O' Connor, Mike Heritage, Davelle Nicholson, Larry Westbrook, Row 4: Adam Needles, Greg Atkins, Tom Collins, Derek Lewis: Back Row: Mike Rohn, Ken Powell, Travis Ringery, Myron Magee: Not Pictured: Rob Larson Left: Rob Larson, freshman, takes a deep breath before playing. Bottom: Adam Needles performs a solo at a home basketball game. Top musicians jam for fun Angel Eyes was just one of the songs that could be heard dovm the halls after school by the Jazz Band, consisting of top mu- sicians, as they prepared for their next perfonnance. Jazz Band gave us a chance to let loose and use our improvisational skills, stated Vennie Nemecek, trumpet player. It offered a chance for both the listener and participants to broaden their musical horizons. The band, consisting of 18 members, played a vari- ety of music from jazz, bal- lads, rock to even stan- dards. Solos were played by the best players of the band, including Adam Nee- dles, Mike Heritage, Greg Atkins, and Markus Smith. However, to be a member of Jazz Band a person had to be a member of one of the concert bands and had to audition. The performances includ- ed winter and spring con- certs as well as playing to motivate the crowd at home basketball games. The band, found practic- ing Monday through Wednesday of each week after school, prepared to- gether for the up-coming concerts. Jazz Band 87