
Twenty-two
students
from
Woodbridge
High
School
recently
performed
the
National
Anthem
together
in
person.
This
is
the
largest
choir
that
has
performed
at
the
school
since
beginning
of
the
pandemic
last
March.
"Our
Pre-Assessment
Concert
was
right
before
we
were
sent
home
due
to
the
beginning
of
COVID-19,"
explained
Joel
Shapiro,
choir
director
at
Woodbridge
High. "The
closer
of
the
concert
was
Greg
Gilpin's
'Why
We
Sing,'
which
is
about
why
we
lift
our
voices
in
harmony
together. I
did
not
know
how
poignant
that
song
would
be
now,
looking
back
on
that
event."
The
National
Anthem
was
performed
with
a
combination
of
students
from
two
of
Shapiro's
classes:
the
Woodbridge
Chorale
and
the
Woodbridge
Singers.
These
students
performed
on
the
school's
football
field
while
keeping
at
least
six
feet
apart
and
wearing
face
coverings.
The
performance
was
recorded
for
two
Division-wide
events
that
celebrate
PWCS
staff
members,
the
Outstanding
Educators
Ceremony
and
the
Retiree
Ceremony
"It
was
so
special,"
said
Shapiro. "The
word
'ensemble'
means
'together,'
and
that's
what
a
choir
really
is. We
are
nothing
without
the
ensemble
sound
of
all
of
our
collective
voices
together,
so
getting
to
do
that
together
on
the
field
was
a
really
special
and
fun
moment
for
all
of
us
who
participated."
View
the
Woodbridge
choir
National
Anthem
performance.