On Sept. 14, the Patriot Chorus hosted the “Chorus Kickoff”. This was the first event hosting all chorus classes, featuring an array of bonding activities. Due to chorus students being separated into five different class periods, leaders felt it was important to unite the groups within each class.

“The purpose of the ‘Chorus Kickoff’ was to promote the idea that our chorus department is more than just a class you sing in,” junior and Head of Hospitality Lauren Hughes said. “We wanted students to be able to interact and get to know people from other chorus classes, so that we could all be connected as a whole family, not just in our separate classes.”

Chorus officers came together to create an inclusive environment, running rooms with different activities inside, all centered around learning about and connecting with peers.

“We did sing-alongs, dancing, games and Kahoots,” senior and Lead Officer Claudia Lerner said. “The purpose was to bring us together as a group to bond.”

One of the more chorus-centered rooms has all members sing together. This activity had multiple purposes. The first, providing the unique experience of singing with people in different chorus classes. The second, allowing the classes to hear the full sound of the department.

“We sang as a whole so that both old and new chorus students could hear what our combined chorus sounds like this year,” Hughes said. “We don’t get many chances to sing as a whole group other than our concert. That is something very important to us.”

Though there will be an entire year to allow students to form connections and bond, chorus officers felt that it was important to start building that camaraderie early on in the year. This created a strong initial connection within the group to foster growth of these relationships as the year progresses.

“I think this helped the students connect with each other and with the chorus department as a whole,” Hughes said. “It made them understand that chorus is more than just one of the classes on your schedule. It’s a loving and caring family that you become a part of.”