Teachers visit Class of 2020 music students (with photo gallery)

Courtesy photo. Kara Feldkamp received the John Philip Sousa Band Award, the highest band honor, which recognizes superior musicianship, dependability, loyalty, and cooperation.

By Crystal Hayduk

Chelsea High School (CHS) music directors and teachers couldn’t end the 2019-20 school year without greeting the graduates who had devoted part of each day to the music program.

Typically, the music department holds two awards events during the final week of May — one for choir and Company C, and one for band and orchestra. These evenings give the teachers the opportunity to publicly express their appreciation and well wishes for young people whom they have known for years, often since fifth grade when the students first chose an instrument or choir.

Photo by Crystal Hayduk. Each music student graduate was presented with a key chain bearing the latitude and longitude coordinates of Chelsea High School, as a reminder of home. The key chains were paid for with funds from individual program accounts (band, choir, and orchestra).

Although the awards evenings were canceled due to COVID-19, the teachers honored the music students by visiting their homes to deliver a gift and talk for a few minutes about how they’re doing and their plans for the future. Each student was given a key chain with the latitude and longitude coordinates of the high school as a future reminder of home.

Jed Fritzemeier, who retired in 2019 from his position as orchestra director, gave token gifts and handwritten letters to the students, delivered by his replacement, Phillip Sylvester, and Nathan Peters, the middle school orchestra teacher. “These are things he would have given them and words he would have said if he had been able to be here,” said Peters.

Listed below are the names of graduates from the music program and those who received distinction in specific areas.

Choir
Chamber Choir: Joshua Ashley, Marianna Carpenter, Nicholas Kaemming, Lilian Maynard, Alexa Schumann

Bella Voce / Troubadours: Abitha Baskarm, Hayley Vandehey

Photo by Crystal Hayduk. Joseph Norwood received the National Orchestra Award, the highest orchestra honor, which recognizes merit, outstanding contributions, loyalty, cooperation, and conduct.

Orchestra
Orchestra Director’s Award: Thomas Kenning

National School Orchestra Award: Joseph Norwood

Madison Brodeur, Connor Boone, Aidan Delwiche, Maegan Ford, Morgan Kurth, Sarah Loring, Carolyn Pierce, Abigail Shore

Band
Outstanding Senior Marching Band Members: Lillian Caister, Brendan Hackett, Amanda Taylor

CHS Marching Band Elimination Block Champion: Lucas Glendening

Spirit of the Pride: Kelsey Weinreich

Louis Armstrong Jazz Award: Drew Boughton

CHS Band Director’s Award: Kauri Fields, Teresa Wozniak

John Philip Sousa Band Award: Kara Feldkamp

Courtnee Clouse, Mitchell Dickinson, Owen Fahle, Zander Hartsuff, Thea Higgins, Tyler Hochrein, Arthur Keaton, Suhjin King, Mikayla Koch, Elizabeth Kolman, Sidney Kurowicki, Alex Lewis, Emma Loy, AJ Mitchell, Sawyer Northrup, Ethan Pfeiffer, Emily Rosolowski, Katherine Struk, Benjamin Wireman