Food, fun, and laughter filled the Student Union on Tuesday evening as the choir students were treated to their semi-annual potluck.
Due to the absence of regular choir director, Genevieve Tep, the annual choir trip was canceled much to the dismay of some of the students. Long-term substitute Matthew Goulart proposed the Choir Council hold another potluck.
“It was sort of unfortunate that we had to cancel the choir trip,” said Vivian Yip, a senior and Treble Clef representative for Choir Council. “But I think that an extra potluck was a reasonable alternative that will no doubt strengthen the bond between students.”
Goulart believes that bonding is necessary for a great choir.
Goulart said: “We get a lot of students from a lot of different backgrounds, and we want everyone to feel like they belong here.”
The planning of the event was spearheaded by Choir Council Co-President Kiran Boone, a senior.
“Getting the attendance numbers we wanted was a bit tough, seeing that the potluck was directly after mid-winter break. But whether it’s 30 attendees or 100, we’ll most assuredly have a good time,” Boone said.
Helping out the choir council was two parent volunteers: Nikki Moshiri and Julie Andersson.
“Seeing the kids enjoy themselves is the biggest reward,” Moshiri said.
The evening was filled with many fun games, the highlight being capture the flag. Many students, like sophomore Rafael Montalvo, were very invested.
“It was really fun, especially because my team won,” Montalvo said. “Go team two!”
The night ended with a full choir performance of three songs. This was the first time students from different choirs had sung together as a unit.
“I just love the sound of voices all together in harmony. I love the feeling you get when a chord locks, and it’s perfectly in tune, and everybody’s kind of listening and paying attention and zoned in and focused,” Goulart said.
Students generally enjoyed the night, with many, like Cameron Garcia Brown, appreciating the opportunity to interact with other students in the choir.
“The community around choir adds so much,” Brown said. “These events bring us together in such a wonderful way.”
The upcoming choir spring concert is on Saturday, March 24.
Andersson said, “This program is unique and phenomenal, and within this humongous school, this is an umbrella of cohesion and a place of belonging for the kids. None of these kids are similar yet they all belong to this wonderful subgroup of Carlmont.”
