Hitting the Notes at Nationals

Zionsville show choirs win big in first trip back to nationals competition

By Madeline Wilson, Assistant Editor

After over a decade of watching from the audience, sophomore Anne Nooning said it is a “joy” and “privilege” to compete alongside the Zionsville show choirs. And on March 18, Nooning and other members of the Choralaires and Royalaires became Heart of America National Champions when they traveled to Orlando to compete at the national level for the first time since 2020.

“It’s just something that I’m so unbelievably excited for,” Nooning said before the trip. “It really feels like a privilege to be able to go and to experience that.”

According to Deana Broge, co-director of show choirs, the Royalaires and Choralaires have not been to a national competition in the last two years because of COVID-19. In fact, it was an entirely new experience for all members of the choirs, crew, and combo.

Senior Grace Barnes, one of the co-presidents of Royalaires, said she was disappointed when last year’s trip to Nationals was delayed.

“It was disappointing, considering the seniors in the group last year connected to a lot of people in the group,” Barnes said.

Barnes said she looked forward to seeing the performances of groups outside of Indiana at Nationals.

“It’s a completely new experience,” Barnes said. “You get to watch people who you’ve never seen perform before, and also you get to meet new people.”

However, Barnes said there was also additional stress because the Royalaires and Choralaires then competed against those same groups.

“Since we’re making such a big trip out of it, we want to feel good and feel prepared to perform well,” Barnes said.

Nooning said she was somewhat nervous for the performance and about being away from her family.

“It’s definitely easing my anxieties a little bit knowing that I’m not going alone and I’m going with this big group of people that support and love everyone else,” Nooning said. “Overall, I’m just really excited to spend time with everyone, and just to spend that time getting really close and experiencing everything together.”

According to Broge, the show choir experience is about more than just singing and dancing; it’s about creating a community.

“I don’t think the experience is just about music all of the time,” Broge said. “I think it’s about camaraderie and teamwork and a sense of belonging and a community here within the high school.”

The group chartered a plane and spent time in the Disney parks while on the trip.

Barnes attributes the closeness of the choirs to the amount of time they spend together at practices and competitions.

Local competitions also helped the Royalaires and Choralaires prepare for Nationals at the end of the season, according to Barnes.

“Throughout the season, our show is constantly being critiqued,” Barnes said. “If we continue to revise our show, I think it has really good potential for Nationals.”

Sophomore Carly Benner, a member of the Choralaires, said she just hoped to finish the year strong with the performance at Nationals. And her hopes were fulfilled when both choirs took first place and became national champions.

“We were all so happy to win,” Benner said. “It tied up our season so perfectly and was a cherry on top of the most fun trip ever!”

By Georgianna Moreland, Staff

You often see Peer students walking around the school and it is common to hear about Best Buddies. However, do you really know how strong the relationships are or what they mean?

Adi Coleman, junior, started with the Peer class this year, but has been a member of Best Buddies since her freshman year.

“Peer has taught me new ways to help communicate with people who have cognitive disabilities.”

Coleman was introduced to Peer through her aunt and her cousin. Her cousin has diagnosed down syndrome and inspired Coleman to join Peer.

“I’ve worked with Megan. She is so funny, so sassy,” Coleman said. “Our personalities are so similar and it’s awesome, just talking with her, and it’s just really cool to see her grow and develop as well. And as we work more and more together, we become closer.”

There are many ways that students can be involved with Peer-related activities. Unified flag football, unified track, Best Buddies or being part of the Peer classes are all ways to be involved.

“I thought, ‘I can’t wait to learn more from others.’ And I’m so glad I did it,” Coleman said. “I like to do unified track