WCHS students to participate in governor’s inauguration today

Published 10:32 am Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Local students will be participating in the inauguration of Gov. Phil Bryant today in Jackson. The Warren Central High School Madrigal Choir will sing with the Mississippi Boyschoir at the swearing in ceremony, and the WCHS Big Blue Band will march in the parade.

“It’s a huge honor to actually be able to sing at the swearing in,” senior Madrigal Choir member Bailin Caldwell said.

Choir director Nancy Robertson and band director Alan Arendale both said they received their invitations to participate in the inaugural festivities from Mississippi House of Representative Alex Monsour shortly before Christmas.

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Students were not informed of the honor until they returned to school after the two-week break, but since learning of their invitations, both have been practicing for the historical moment.

Gov. Bryant will be sworn-in for his second term as Mississippi’s 64th Governor.

All of the music the choir will be singing is new for the group, but Robertson said she knew her students were talented enough to learn the pieces in such a short amount of time.

“I have absolute faith and confidence that they will do what ever it takes to get the music learned on time and to perfection,” she said.

“These pieces weren’t easy either,” Caldwell added.

The Madrigals have practiced from 7:45 to 8:45 each morning since school resumed after the New Year and two hours each Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to scheduled rehearsals, students also practiced at their homes.

“I was willing to plink out the notes on the piano for us and let us record it so we could go home and practice on our own time and listen to it while we are doing homework or something, just to get the notes in our head,” senior Madrigal Choir member Caitlyn Jeffers said.

Songs performed by the Madrigals and the Mississippi Boyschoir are “God Bless America,” Lift Up Your Voice” and “America the Beautiful.”

As one of 30 bands marching in the 1-mile inaugural parade, Big Blue will be playing  “God Bless America.”

This is the song the band performed in the local Veteran’s Day parade, Arendale said, and since the band was already familiar with the musical piece, practice for tomorrow’s event was focused on executing turns.

“We don’t have any turns in our Christmas parade in Vicksburg so we actually have to practice turning. I am sure this is something nobody would think about,” Arendale said with a laugh.

Inaugural events for today’s swearing-in ceremony at the State Capitol building will begin at 11 a.m. The parade will be held in downtown Jackson at 1:30 p.m., and the inaugural ball is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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