The “Singing on the Edge” vocal recital was recently held at Montgomery Area High School and the students did a phenomenal job.

Mrs. Carina McNear is the high school vocal teacher and she put the show together for Music in Our Schools month. Before the show began she informed the audience that the students were in grades through 9-12, and one-third of the students were about to sing in front of an audience for the first time. She said that a vocal recital, as opposed to a musical, was a unique opportunity to give every student a chance to shine as an individual.

The size of the pool of outstanding musical talent is truly remarkable. Over the years the vocal students have raised the community’s expectations of seeing great performances, and they never disappoint. The young singers did such a wonderful job that it was easy to forget that the performers were teenaged high school students.

The concept behind “Singing on the Edge” was to perform school-appropriate songs from musicals that would typically be deemed too controversial to be performed in their entirety by high school students. The show opened with all of the participating students singing “Seasons of Love” from the musical ‘Rent.’ The rest of the evening was a series of vocal performances given mostly by individual students, but there were some duets and small group performances as well. Each student was given the opportunity to sing at least one solo part and every vocalist was impressive. The variety of songs stretched from sentimental, to fun, to heart-rending. But each one left the audience wanting more.

I hope that Carina McNear and all of the students involved are as proud as they should be.

The student participants were: Brooke Bartlow, Emma Klopp, Wyatt Stugart, Catalin Torok, Jaelyn Woods, Andrea Cuddeback, Sophia Grab, Whitney Bolden, Emily Wolfgang, Caleb Hipple, Grace Bopp, Maddie Solano-LaForme, Zofina Fink, Mirabelle Fink, Breanna Gardner, Laura Ulrich, McKenzie Heasley, Jacob Cuddeback, Jewels Tawney, Carson Bloom, Dylan Ring, and Owen Smith. Four teachers also performed: Eric Brown, Brett Hofstrom, Jeremey Rhoades, and Adam Westover.

If you missed out on the opportunity to see these talented students perform, you can have the chance to see their Spring Musical “Into the Woods” on April 27-29th.

THOT “Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.” Ludwig van Beethoven

Some students at Montgomery Area High School recently held a memorial service in the school’s gymnasium to honor the lives of the students and faculty who were lost in the tragedy at Lakeland, Florida.

The Montgomery Borough Office will be closed on Friday, March 30 for Good Friday.

If you want to be part of the Montgomery Lions Club, please call Roger McRae at 570-971-2825.

Hometown Hero banners can be ordered at a 15 percent discount until April 6. Order forms are available at the Montgomery Borough Office, Montgomery Weis Market, and the Clinton Township Office.

Montgomery Events

Mon. Mar. 26 Book Buddies will be held at the Montgomery Public library from 5-6 p.m. Parents can bring their children to the library to meet a teenager who will read a book to them. Games will be available for children to play after story time is over.

Mon. Mar. 26 The Clinton Township Supervisors meeting will be held in the Municipal Building at 6:30 p.m.

Fri. Mar. 30 The Montgomery Library will hold a new event for teenagers called a “Book Tasting.” There will be tables set up featuring different genres of old and new books for teens to “taste.” Snacks will be provided as well.

Sat. Mar. 31 The Montgomery Lions Club will hold their annual Easter Egg Hunt at the park at 1 p.m.