With the spring show complete, one of Homewood High School’s most successful show choir seasons has come to an end.

Over spring break, Homewood High School’s show choir program placed third overall in the mixed division, known as Network, at a national competition held at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

The nationals group is made up of two troupes, Network, a co-ed group for boys and girls in grades 10-12 and Nexus, an all-girls group.

Network’s show, “Coachella”, was inspired by the popular music festival in California, featuring songs by artists performing in the lineup.

Network competitor and sophomore Arlo McClure describes his time in Nashville, Tennessee at nationals.

“It was such an amazing experience to be out there with all my friends and be able to perform and get third on one of the biggest stages in America,” McClure said.

19 show choir programs from seven different states competed in the competition, making the third place finish a notable achievement for Homewood. 

Sophomore Amelia Swatek, who performs in both Network and Nexus, highlights the challenges of a national competition. 

“It’s really difficult because you are going up against different groups from different parts of the country, not just the south like we are used to,” Swatek said.

Swatek added that the competition also offers opportunities to connect with others.

“It’s really fun to meet new people who have different experiences with show choir and see how they perform,” Swatek said.  

Following the success at Nationals, show choir directors began organizing the program’s annual spring show. All three choirs performed, including the freshman group, Continuum. 

Senior Network member, Reese Chaiprakob, compares the two performances.

“Preparing for spring show was much more relaxed compared to preparing for Nationals. Nationals required many late night night rehearsals,” Chaiprakob said. “Spring show of course needs attention too, but it doesn’t have as much pressure on it to be perfect.”

Junior Ellis Jourdan described the spring show as a sendoff for the graduating seniors.

“It is just a final fun thing to say bye to the seniors,” Jourdan said.

As for Seniors, Chaiprakob highlights the importance of the spring show marking the end of their season. 

“As a senior it was just another chance to do what I love. It doesn’t carry as much emotional weight as competing but it was a fun way to say goodbye to my favorite thing to do with all my friends,” Chaiprakob said. 

Tryouts for the group take place in late April.