The Indus choir performs at a section music contest in Warroad.
It’s been a busy month for the Indus Music Department.
On Feb. 27, the Indus choir traveled to Warroad to participate in a section music contest. At this event, they received two “Excellent” ratings and one “Superior” rating.
The individual choir sang “Down that Road” and “Clap Your Hands, Rejoice.”
The mass choir sang “Requiem” (a song for the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami), “Cindy,” “Old Dan Tucker,” “Wild Mountain Thyme,” “Keep Your Lamp” and “Nanuma” (“We Welcome You Today”).
Prior to the contest, 27 students in the Indus band participated in Band Day at Backus in International Falls Feb. 11 with area schools. The songs the band played at the event included “Supercalifragilisticexpialido-cious,” “Jurassic Park’s Main Them,” and “Dance and Celebration.”
“I believe all of our students did very well,” commented music director Stacy Ottemann. “There were students there from sixth grade all the way through 12th grade, so there were different levels of technical ability and experience. I find that taking sixth graders to Backus Band Day, with only having about a year’s worth of experience, helps push them to become better musicians,” she stated.
On Feb. 25, the Indus choir went to Choir Fest at Backus for a similar experience with area schools, which gave students the opportunity to expand their musical knowledge and experience.
Ottemann continued, “I feel like these events bring a whole different experience to the whole of music for these students. In the band world, it allows us to play music that we would not be able to play in our current band because of instrumentation. In the choral world, the students get the chance to experience what it is like to sing in a ‘full’ choir. I believe the students have mixed feelings about both events. It takes them outside their comfort zone by having them sit/stand by other students they may not necessarily know and make music. However, at the end of it all, they do have fun.”
The Scholastic Book Fair will be at Indus School March 16-20. Theme this year is “Under the Sea.”
Reading has real and long-lasting benefits. It unlocks the power of information and imagination and helps children discover who they are, according to a news release. The Scholastic Book Fair is a week- long reading event that will bring to the Indus School the books that kids want to read.
Parents, grandparents, and community members are welcome to visit the library anytime, but will have two special opportunities during the week to browse through the book fair.
The annual Grand Event is set for Tuesday. Grandparents are welcome at 11 a.m. for lunch, plus spend an afternoon with their grandchildren. An afternoon of activities will also be planned. The Indus preschool and kindergarten will host an open house from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday for prospective students and parents. Science students are working on exhibits which will be on display in the library all day Thursday and Friday. A dinner, free of charge, will be served for parents and students Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30. The annual variety/talent show, sponsored by the Indus School Student Council, will begin at 7.
Hours for the book fair are from 8:15. am. to 5 p.m., except Thursday, when the fair will remain open until after the variety/talent show (about 8 p.m.)
The public is welcome to attend and explore an “Ocean of Books” in the school library.
The Falls High School speech team earned a first place finish in the Ely Rotary Invitational Saturday, with two students taking home individual first place prizes. The team is coached by Karen Bates and Erin Warren.
Medals were awarded for first place in individual categories, ribbons were given to second through sixth place finishers, with honorable mention ribbons given to the rest of the participants.
Humorous
- In second place was Kristina Remus, third place was Declan Lowthian and fifth place was Anna Cowman.
Duo
- In second place was the team of Gary Harala and Serina Sprecco, the third place team was Jayde Hall and Ian Durcharme, the fifth place team was Samantha Van Heel and Unity Bahr and the team of Hannah Earnest and Keeli Josephs earned honorable mention.
Poetry
- In second place was John Van Heel, fifth place was Clara Palm and Rabecka Salo earned honorable mention.
Original oratory
- Taking home a first place medal was Josie Bates.
Creative
- In third place was Hannah Kruse, fifth place was Jordan Anderson and Melissa Shoquist earned honorable mention.
Discussion
- Taking home second place was Spencer Jessen.
Informative
- Taking home first place was David Griffith.
Prose
- Kendra Schmidt and Korie Valentine took home fourth place ribbons.
