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FOR THE FALLEN. Honoring the soldiers who gave all, junior Tripp Brown and senior Jeremiah Russell sing with the JV and varsity mixed choirs.

Purple hearts represent more than just Wildkat pride. On Thurs. Nov. 10, the high school and junior high choirs came together to pay homage to current and former members of the armed forces and all they’ve done for our country. 

Many students appreciated the concert as it was a great way to bolster the spirits of the choir as a whole. The concert also offered an opportunity for seniors to reflect on their years as wildkat choir members as they pass on their traditions to a new age of choir students.

“It was a great way to show our appreciation for all the veterans in our community and it helped boost morale within our choir,” senior Jeremiah Russell said.” The songs we reuse have come with us since middle school so as a senior, it’s a sigh of relief knowing that we’re passing that song onto a younger generation and that this concert allowed them to get a glimpse of what our choir program is really like.”

United on all fronts, this concert let wildkats show the world that Willis stands together in support of our troops. 

“Veterans day as a whole invokes a lot of emotion throughout the community and the music we present at this concert is our way of honoring those who have sacrificed their lives for this country, in hopes of bringing us closer as a community,” junior Tripp Brown said. “I think seeing younger members of the community from the middle schools along with our leaders and older members of the choir brings synergy to us and really shows that we’re united under one cause.”

As the night wound down, some members of the choir took the chance to look back on their performance. While it wasn’t as great as some would have hoped, it still gave them the chance to honor their community.

“I think we did pretty well even if we didn’t really show the breadth of our abilities as a choir,” junior Alex Nijera said. “The songs we do every year allow us to show off songs we know well and provide a great concert for guests and prove that there is a greater community in Willis that cares for our veterans.”

For some choir members, the concert was a stressful experience but it was all worth it to feel their American pride resonating in every note. 

“As someone in varsity, the number of songs we had for the concert was a bit stressful,” junior Nevaeh Scholwinski said. “Because I had an uncle that was a veteran, allowing my pride to shine through in our performance is such an amazing way to connect with him and honor his experiences through song.”