West Marion High School’s show choir, "New Era," opened its competition season Saturday at the South Jones Show Choir Invitational, earning top honors and caption awards.
Competing in the Small Mixed Division against strong programs such as Pass Christian and Wayne County, New Era rose to the occasion and captured first place. In addition to its division victory, the group achieved a clean sweep of caption awards, taking home Best Vocals, Best Visuals and Best Show Design. Along with first place, among all competing choirs across every division, New Era earned an impressive 4th Runner-Up placement, placing them in the top-5 overall for the entire contest.
To cap off the night, Haylie Jo Smith competed in the solo competition and took home a significant honor. She was named the overall female winner, competing against numerous students from all competing high schools in attendance.
"It's always exciting to open the season with a win, but we know we have a long season ahead of us,” Director Jon Bullock said. “We have a lot of work to do because we face a lot of very talented groups throughout the season."
This year's ensemble consists of 22 performers in grades seven through 12 who are involved in numerous sports, clubs and activities.
"The amount of talent this school has is kind of like a hidden gem. Show choir and the other arts here allow these kids to shine, and I'm thankful for that," Bullock said.
New Era continues its competition season on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Pearl River Community College. After Pearl River, the group will travel to Birmingham, Ala. to compete at Oak Mountain High School before returning to Mississippi to finish the last four competitions of the season at West Jones, Petal, Oak Grove and Biloxi high schools.
