The start of October means the first concert of the year for the orchestra.

On October 7, the high school and middle school orchestras had a combined concert at the high school. The concert started at 7 p.m.

The two orchestras spent the first month of school preparing selections of music to perform. With only having a month to prepare for the concert, this concert was a preview concert so the parents and other community members can see what is to come from the orchestra at future performances. 

The evening started with the seventh and eighth grade orchestra performing two pieces of music. The first selection was “Ancient Hunters” by Sean O’Loughlin. The next piece was “Dragonhunter” by Richard Meyer. Many of the high school members remember playing this selection during their middle school years.

The seventh graders got to take a break and hear the eighth graders play their own selections. They played “Midnight Rain” by Susan H. Day and “Curse of the Rosin Eating Zombies From Outer Space” also by Meyer.

Many of the high school members remember playing “Dragonhunter” and “Curse of the Rosin Eating Zombies From Outer Space” during their middle school years.

The high school and middle school groups were able to relax and listen to a guest string quartet, The Heimat String Quartet. The members of the group were Aubrey Holmes (violin), Patrick Shaughnessy (violin), Chung Han Hsiao (violia) and Aaron Fried (cello). The quartet played two selections.

After the quartet, the high school orchestra was featured. Their first selection was “The Avengers” by Alan Silvestri and arranged by Larry Moore. They also played the “Theme from Fantasy on Sleepers Wake” by J.S. Bach. After playing a slow piece the orchestra picked up the beat and played “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” This selection was performed by the Dropkick Murphys but composed by Loughlin.

The orchestra took a pause from playing for the seniors to receive their letters.  The senior orchestra members are Chloe Miller (violin), Jack Dotson (violin), Amber Villanueva (violin), Meghan Bohannon (violin), Fred Cunningham (violin), Hannah Fifer (violin), Cheyenne Fox (viola), Zachary Kunz (cello), Alex Petrovski (cello) and Faith Horn (cello).

The last selection for the high school orchestra was “New World Symphony (Mvt IV)” by Antonin Dvorak.

For anyone who missed the concert, the Lakeview, Kimpton and high school orchestras will be having an all-city orchestra concert on Thursday December 10 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. At this concert, the juniors in the high school orchestra will be receiving their letters.

By Kyla Zeigler

As students were anxious for the homecoming dance, “A Night at Hogwart’s,” the pep-rally was held to announce the 2015 Mr. and Mrs. Stow.

On October 2, between second and third period, students poured into the gymnasium. An obstacle course, including a large inflatable slide, stood tall as the echoing noises from the crowd eagerly waited this event. Drums and cheers filled the air as the pep-rally was about to begin.

Student council advisor, Alex Mcmahan, was the speaker of this event as he announced the 2015 homecoming court. Mr. and Mrs. Stow candidates were announced along with the display of their campaign videos. Not only that but the couples also had to complete an obstacle course.

Starting out by sliding down the inflatable slide, each candidate crawled in and out of cones placed near the end of the slide. Then they had to spin around a baseball bat about ten times and walk on a balance beam made up of two wooden benches. Meeting them at the end was a hula-hoop hung by a string placed on the basketball hoop on the east side of the gym. They had to go through the hoop to get to the next station.

At the next station, candidates had to place five jumbo marshmallows into their mouth and sing the “Alma Mater.”

After they completed this, they cartwheeled to where they were met by two soccer balls. Candidates then had to kick the balls into the net and run up the bleachers to a pair of student council members. From the members they received a pen and ran down to the floor where they popped a balloon. After they popped the balloon the timer was stopped.

Mr. and Mrs. Stow was announced based on popularity and awarded the honor of claiming this year’s title. Excitement began to die down as the pep-rally came to an end.

Students came in the gymnasium anxiously waiting for this year’s Mr. and Mrs. Stow and left with even more excitement as “A Night at Hogwart’s” was only a day away.