Car wash fundraiser to precede event
The Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS) Senior High Choir will be holding their annual Fall Retreat at the high school this Saturday, September 13 This year, a morning car wash fundraiser was added to the traditional communal noon lunch and afternoon convocation.
The car wash will run from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and will be held on 5th Avenue on the north side of the school, adjacent to the agriculture and industrial arts classrooms. The cost is $5 per car – or a free will donation. This fundraiser supports the May Pop’s Concert, and is used to purchase music, costumes, decorations, etc.
Following the car wash, the participating choir students will eat lunch together from 12 noon to 1 p.m., and then head to the retreat, which will kick of at 1 p.m. continuing until 4 p.m.
According to Andrea Brinkman, high school vocal director and music teacher, “We use the retreat to get a jump start on the year; we rehearse large group contest music for competitions in March, as well as introduce music for the spring Pops Concert in May. We have four months to prepare for our December concert, but after that, we only have three months to prepare our contest music – and then only two months to prepare for our Pops Concert, so it is nice to get ahead a little bit.”
For the retreat, the Senior High Choir officers have coordinated a number of activities, including a group picture scavenger hunt. Brinkman notes that his special time together, outside the choir room, helps the choir come together as a time; a cohesive unit.
This year’s Senior High Choir officers are President Jenny Wright, Vice-President Carmen Syverson, Secretary Ryan McCue and Treasurer Caleb Rempel. The officers completely plan the retreat, as well as organize the car wash.
The Senior High officers have additionally solicited local businesses, requesting items that will be used as door prizes at the close of the retreat. Donations have been received from Salon 310, Maynard’s Foods, The Matchless Gift, Sweet Fields, and Peterson Drug and Gift.
Emphasizes Brinkman, “This is a wonderful way to get the year off to a positive start, and to help the younger and new students feel more comfortable in this large group setting. This year we have 95 members in Senior High Choir. My first year in the high school I had 63 members, 75 my second year; last year, 88, and now, 95. I am absolutely thrilled!”