WOW!!!! What a wonderful and productive year it has been already, and we have several exciting things planned for the next four weeks. I hope you will join with me in recognizing the special accomplishments these students have already achieved and will congratulate them for their working to create our traditions of excellence.

We started this year by welcoming several new members into both our Freshmen Choir and Varsity Singers. In total we added 47 new singers this year into our program. These students brought with them various levels of experience and were a welcome addition to our choral family.

In October, all of the choirs presented their annual Fall Concert which was well received by the community and parents alike. The students performed around the school for various events including performing the National Anthem for several sporting events, including three performances for the Norfolk Admirals and one for the Norfolk Tides. This brought a great deal of recognition for our program and our school. In November, our Varsity Singers presented a performance in Norfolk with several other schools as part of the Handy Memorial Concert Series. This concert was well received and the students heard comments such as "I can’t believe this choir has only been around for two years", "That was on of the finest High School Choirs I have ever heard" and "I can’t wait to have you back next year". It was a wonderful way to introduce our tradition of excellence to the outside community. That month we also participated in the District Chorus Auditions where we placed 58 students in the District Chorus. This was the highest amount of students selected from any high school in Chesapeake, Portsmouth or Suffolk. Wow!!!

December brought many Holiday Concerts for our groups and were happy to bring Holiday spirit to hundreds of people through song. Our Winter Concert at school was labeled by many as the finest concert they have ever been a part of. We even had one person who told us they would have paid a hundred dollars to hear that concert, we were happy to receive the "thanks" for a performance well done.

During the winter months, students could be seen preparing for our first annual Chorus Variety show. This was a huge success and helped to raise thousands of dollars for our program. Thanks to both the students and parents who participated. I am looking forward to what you will do next year.

We also were excited to have seven (7) students selected for the Virginia All-State Choir. This was the highest amount of students selected from our District and one of the highest in the entire state. Congratulations to those singers and thanks for representing Grassfield High so well at the event.

Festival Season was a time for all of our choirs to shine on the community stage while being judged by some of the areas finest choral conductors. I am so proud to announce that all choirs received straight "Superiors" from the judges. This was a first in the history of the Grassfield High Chorus and it showed how very talented these singers are. Tonight you will hear many of these selections as we "dust" them off and share them with a new audience tonight. We hope you enjoy them.

Next we traveled on our Spring Trip to New York City with 120 people and took in all the sights and sounds of the greatest city. We also shared three performances with the community of New York and New Jersey at some of the worlds finest performance venues. In addition we saw several Broadway shows and had reservations at some very fine New York restaurants. I know the students enjoyed this experience and I hope it is a trip that will make memories that last a lifetime.

June 10 brings our Graduation and we wish our 20 seniors the best as they continue on their journey. Many of them are continuing on to institutions of higher learning or have prepared to join the working force. No matter where you go, you will always be welcome here at GFHS and will always be a member of our family.
Parting Blessings to you all.