Today you plant the seeds, you watch us grow.

You care for us. You invest yourself, and deep inside you know all that we can see is not all that we can be.

As the lyrics of “Dream for Me” fill the room, the members of the Wildkat Choir join their voices with the members of the WISD Fifth Grade Honor Choir. From Parmley to Meador and all the other schools in between, it was a tour to none campuses for a day full of sharing music and possibilities for the entire district. 

Students from WHS enjoy being able to see and experience the children’s reactions and their life at the middle and elementary schools.

“I loved being able to see the different cultures and reactions from kids,’’ senior Katie Redus said. “I feel like they paid more attention to us because it’s not something they see everyday and could see us as role models or how they could be in high school. It’s a different thing to watch and feel since they don’t go to school with us. Something that I noticed while we were singing was that some of the students asked us how we sang so high. Some had their mouths dropped, and some said we sounded and sang really well.”

While they loved singing at the schools, students pointed out the difference between the way the middle and elementary students reacted.

“My favorite part of the elementary tour was singing with the kids,” sophomore Kaley Hall said. “I would absolutely love to do it again, especially since it was with all my friends. There was definitely a difference between the grades because the middle schoolers kind of understood what we were doing better than the fifth graders when it came to the logistics of the music.”

As bittersweet memories return to those who attended the different schools in the past, students share the nostalgia they felt.

“It felt cool to see the schools that I used to go to as well as seeing the teachers that I had,” junior Emily Laverne said.

Although there was excitement with singing, teaching younger children was the highlight for some students.

“My favorite part of the event was getting to teach little kids how to sing a whole song,” junior Yabi Paulino said. “I would do something like this again because the little honor choir kids were fun and were actually really cool and paid attention. I feel like the middle and elementary students were different from us because they don’t have as much technique training as we do, so it’s awkward when performing with all the middle schools.”

Choir director Kenneth Labonski, is proud of his students as he recognizes how his high school students set great examples for the future choir members.

“The WHS choir students were focused for six hours on singing, hosting and being flexible as problems presented themselves,” Labonski said. “They were positive and professional throughout the day. When all 72 fifth graders and the high school students sang “Dream for Me,’ the final song, it was wonderful to see kids I remember as 6th graders performing with those who will be in the high school in a few years to come.”