<p>Something happened a few weekend back on this subject. I tried to find the thread by “Sandrasings11” on here about Ithaca posted in the summer but couldn’t find it to add to my reply there so:</p>
<p>I’m not a fan of the show “Glee” for multiple reasons. Although I’m sure they’ve moved beyond that now, their promos used to make it look like everyone who was in that choir constantly got food thrown in their face in the halls (and my apologies in advance to those who’ve had that happen to them or Dads and Moms of children who have).</p>
<p>That being said:</p>
<p>[Here</a> is a YouTube of my son’s chamber choir in a mid-southern state, led by an Ithaca grad whose back you see.](<a href=“Rosas Pondan - BHS Chamber - YouTube”>Rosas Pondan - BHS Chamber - YouTube)</p>
<p>As I’d said in Sandra’s photo, this choir director leads a choral program of 450 kids in a school of almost 3,500. His program is the largest extracurricular activity in the school. (And they DO take “extracurriculars” seriously there.) He is beloved in this community. In the time my son’s been there, his Chamber Choir alone has sent kids to Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, IU-Bloomington, Berklee School of Music, North Texas, Texas A & M, Brigham Young, Washington-St. Louis, Tulsa, Missouri State and others I know I’m missing. And during that time, they’ve had in their ranks the 2010 prom king, a starter on the state champion (big school) girl’s soccer team, a cheerleader, the sophomore class president, the reigning "Miss (school name - annual beauty pageant taken very seriously there) and a linebacker on the football team (here’s where it got interesting).</p>
<p>This year, the football team won the state big school championship setting records right and left in the process, including the being the #3 scoring “big school” program in state history. The team finished “Top 25” overall in most high school football ranking services and were undefeated, also a rarity here. The day after the first playoff game, the chamber choir did a “singout” in the town square. While they were performing, the school’s #1 tackler and some other team members walked up and watched their teammate in that choir, who happened to be the primary backup to said #1 tackler. When finished, they cheered loudly for the teammate and the choir.</p>
<p>Thought that was cool. That kid’s far from the first football player to be in a hs choir before, but my son’s choral teacher (who was the key person in helping my son win the “Young Arts 2011 Honorable Mention Award” in my book, even if genetics helped), an Ithaca grad, has built that into an elite group that is knid of the "Anti-‘Glee’ ".</p>
<p>If Ithaca turns out many more like him, this country will be a more blessed place.</p>