Watching the high school musical “The Sound of Plaid” this past weekend, was a peak experience. It was truly one of the best performances I have ever seen. The quality of singing, acting, choreography, musical accompaniment, stage management, sound and lighting were all top quality. The expertise and teamwork behind stage that has developed over the years in this community is remarkable.

And feeding this performance was all that has come before it: years of the Nutcracker Ballet, Jazzline, Jubilee, HHS Choir, HHS Swing Choir, the Community Choir, past HHS musicals, DDF, Pier One Theatre, Artists in the Schools, and Homer Council on the Arts Youth programs.It was a true testament of the commitment this community has to our youth and to the arts. And that is all just one layer of the experience. 

What I also witnessed on stage was the deeper, inner experience of the arts. I saw a group of high school students that were being filled with self-confidence, self-value, self-worth as well as an appreciation and respect for others. It was a very real experience of teamwork, and the value of every participant in a group effort and the impact a group can have on others. The audience and the cast fed each other, lifting us all into the realm of life that keeps us going, where we are inspired and willing to put forth the effort it takes to keep our lives rich by nurturing the potential we all have and sharing it. 

Thank you to the HHS Choir, and to all those who have come before them, to those beckoning our children to their potential and supporting them as they unfold. 

Gail Edgerly, director