This story was originally published in the third issue of The Bear Truth (December 16, 2019).

The WSHS Showcase debuted on December 12 in the auditorium. It was a night where Band, Chorus, and Colorguard came together to perform different acts; it was one of the biggest nights of the whole school year. Sydney Gillis, a Band of Gold member, explained that “during the show, different sections were featured… at different locations within the auditorium. This allowed us to showcase what we’ve been working on.” 

This year the concert consisted of different acts including students singing or playing songs. There were mixed choirs of women and men and also including Bear Voices.

This year most of the seniors felt confident performing because they have been involved in the program for a few years. This was a great opportunity for everyone at this concert to improve in music or flag work. The Band of Gold started to prepare for the event just about the time they ended the marching season. 

Some members of the Choir joked that during the week of showcase, “Choir takes your soul.” Omotola Alalade, a freshmen Choir member, said, “‘Veniki’ is a Russian folk song that the Freshman Women’s Choir will be performing alongside Advanced Women’s Choir.” A lot of students are both in Band and Choir or Color Guard and Choir or a different combination of the groups. That being said backstage work entails quite a lot of work, including moving risers or different sets and chairs. Backstage students are also students that are performing. Without them, so many things could possibly go wrong. 

Color Guard choreographed a routine of dancing and flag work to the song “The Moon Song” from the movie Her. “I like marching season better than Showcase because we have more time to perfect our show whereas Showcase is more rushed,” said Gabi Feliz. 

This is such a wonderful chance to hang out with your friends and get to do the things you love. Getting the schedule down for Showcase week is key and gets very chaotic for Mr. and Mrs. Ferland, especially with their newest family member Mackenzie Joy Ferland. However, both the Ferlands are adept at figuring out schedules that work for everyone. 

“Preparing for this dance and flag work routine wasn’t easy. We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare and practice due to marching season ending not too long ago and alongside learning a lot of it before Thanksgiving Break, then forgetting some of it. We also have the holiday parade to prepare for, which we recently got added to,” said Michelle Tran, a Color Guard member.

This year, Showcase was a great show, and as usual, it was a night full of amazing and unique acts.