Spartans sang their way to gold in Chicago. This year, WS choir swept the competition, and the awards are endless.

Spartan Choir, a combination of all students in the program, won gold. The WS Madrigals won gold, First Overall, and the Judicator’s Award for their score of 98/100. Personality also won the Judicator’s Award for their score of 97/100 as well as gold and the Sweepstakes Award, which is awarded to the best choir at the competition.

With so much success, it is a full-fledged finger workout to type all the recognitions that the WS choir program received at the national competition. The judges saw a lot of talent and coordination in the WS performances, to say the least.

“When the judges came on stage to critique, they didn’t have much to say,” said senior Abby Ngalle.

Ngalle and other seniors, including Irene Martinko, will be continuing their studies in music and choir in college. Ngalle will be attending AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts and Martinko will be a freshman at Muhlenberg College.

WS choir put in endless hours of work to set their teams apart from the pack. Much of what they did this year built on the songs and dances they learned last year. The hard work students put in mastering past material and also learning new songs and dances allowed them to take their performances to another level this year.

“A lot of groups focus on vocals and do limited dancing. We put in a lot of effort to sing and dance and not just dance on the side,” said senior Haley Lipton.

In addition to all the success, members of the Spartan choir gained a lot of experience from the National Competition in Chicago. The trip brought the choir program together and validated all the dedication they have shown this year and in years prior.

“The whole experience has really taught me that hard work really pays off,” said senior Rachel Trizna.

The event was something the Spartans hope to build off of further in the future. For now, they are enjoying the free time they have to rest on their laurels after their success in Chicago.

“[The experience was] unforgettable. This is the penultimate experience for the students,” said Choral Director Dustin Brandt.