With a packed winter schedule, not only were the choir students preparing for their seasonal concert, but also they were spending time giving back to the community. On Dec. 12, Rock Ridge Choir traveled to sing at Waltonwood Senior Center at 5:30 p.m. and Pacifica Senior Center at 7 p.m. The choir planned to go room-to-room around the Rock Ridge campus on Dec. 15 and 16 to spread the holiday spirit before winter break, but due to weather cancellations on Dec. 15, the performances were only able to be carried out during the fifth and seventh block on Dec. 16. 

The choir group sang holiday songs to both the students and the residents, conducted by choir teacher Jordan Markwood. The contagious ambition of the talented students in the group comes from Markwood. “My goal is to share my passion for singing with other people,” Markwood said. 

The choir group’s main mission was to spread some holiday spirit to both the student body and the local community. “It makes the students [and] the senior residents feel great,” junior Ananya Akula said. Akula is one of the main organizers of the room-to-room caroling at Rock Ridge and the senior centers, along with other big-name events that relate to Rock Ridge Choir.

The backbone of the performances was the prep work that went into getting ready for the events. Although described as fun by core members of the choir group, they worked hard to prepare for events of this size by hosting practice sessions outside of school. “It’s not just practicing in class, it’s also practicing at home and in your free time and having fun,” senior Roshan Mohanty said. 

 One of the main goals of the choir was to spread holiday cheer to the community before the start of winter break. “Whether it’s performing for an audience or just talking to the seniors, it was great to be there,” junior Catie Cantwell said. “We are caroling to bring joy to the folks who can’t always see their family during the holidays.”

As the process of course selections begins, students can consider choir as an elective next year. “I picked choir because I love to sing and challenge myself and I knew that chamber choir would push me,” senior choir member Julia Freeman said. “I would recommend [choir] if you enjoy music and also like working with a group to achieve goals, because a lot of the chorus is learning how to work together,” Freeman said.