On Nov. 18, the performing arts groups at West Marion and East Marion High Schools furnished an evening of thanks full of entertainment that attendees won't soon forget. The quality and content were superior as they performed for a full house at the Mississippi Army National Guard Recruiting Office.
East Marion Performing Arts Director Gary McCullum served as Master of Ceremonies and made sure students from both schools got their encouragement and appreciation from the crowd.
"It was amazing to see both schools show their talent and students," Frenchie Johnson said. "It was very nice, and I'm looking forward to many more performances. The teachers and students did an extraordinary job."
The East Marion Show Choir Junior and Rebirth performed "I See the Light" from Tangled and "We're All in This Together" from High School Musical. McCullum joined them in singing for part of one song, and the students' smiles were shining bright as they sang and danced.
"Being up there felt very different in a good way," East Marion senior Angeleak Conerly said. "It was a wonderful experience and opportunity to do something that Marion County has never done before."
West Marion Elementary's Show Choir, Allegro, performed "Let Me Tell You About My Jesus" and "Fight Song." The group, under the direction of Melanie Russell, did an awesome job in their first year.
West Marion New Era Show Choir performed "Charge Me Up" and "Beat It," which were song and dance numbers choreographed by members Breanna Conerly and Drake Sumrall. Josh Buchanan had a lead singing part in "Beat It."
East Marion Speech and Debate team member Kamryn Graves gave a humorous interpretation entitled "Valentine's Day." Graves had the audience, especially the women, laughing at the way her character did not think Valentine's Day was all that until she got a call from her crush.
West Marion's New Era Show Choir sang "Praise the Lord" and "I Saw a Child." These were music only selections, and West Marion Choir Director Jon Bullock directed the pieces with enthusiasm that was noticed by the crowd.
"I am very proud of all the performers from Friday night," Bullock said. "I want to thank the community for spending their Friday night with the talented students of Marion County."
The East Marion Creative Dance group performed along with their director, Gary McCullum, in a skit about what creative dance is.
Afterwards, McCullum said he would not be able to move the next day because he is getting too old.
Skyla Jones of the New Era Show Choir performed a passionate solo of "Anyone" by Demi Lovato.
"I feel like it went really well," Jones, a sophomore, said. "It was a great turnout. It was definitely a lot of fun to combine with East to perform."
The East Marion group, Treble, performed "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. The song was led by Hannah Newsome.
"I was extremely touched by Hannah's performance. I hope the message and expressions through song were felt throughout the entire audience," East Marion High School Principal Cindy Newsome said. "It was great to see both schools come together for an amazing evening of performances."
Breanna Conerly of West Marion's New Era Show Choir sang "Elastic Heart."
"When I do something like that, I like to envision it going great, but it didn't go as I planned," Conerly, a sophomore, said. "Everybody said it went well, but I'm my biggest critic. I think everyone, West and East, did well."
Gabe Foster of West Marion's New Era Show Choir sang "Evermore" from Les Miserables.
"I was nervous. I thought it went pretty well. We only made a couple of mistakes," Foster, a junior, said. "Overall, it was a good show. I've had people I didn't even know come up to me on the street to say how well I did. It was a good show. All the groups did great."
West Marion Dance Soloists Drake Sumrall and Skyla Jones performed a dance they choreographed themselves to "New Rules."
The East Marion Gospel Choir performed "Hallelujah, Salvation and Glory" and "I Need You to Survive." Several of the choir members held hands, and Hannah Newsome noticeably sobbed during the second piece.
"God has been so good to me," Newsome said. "Through everything I've been through, He has been there. Whenever I think about everything He has done for me, I get emotional because I realize that if it wasn't for Him, nothing would be possible."
McCullum and Bullock spoke about how they work together throughout the year and were excited to collaborate in this show. They both felt it would be good for the county to show the talents of the two schools together in a positive light.
"It is amazing what talent we have in our community and the leaders that make it all happen," West Marion High School Principal Ryan Stringer said. "Special thanks to Mr. (Gary) McCullum, Mr. (Jon) Bullock and Ms. (Melanie) Russell. Every performance was special in its own way, and I couldn't help but be a bit emotional as I watched because I kept thinking of the awesome opportunities that our students have in the Marion County School District.
"We are often too busy to stop and appreciate the things that really matter, like an awesome community to live in. I think our world would be better if we took time to be thankful for what we have."
