Five SHS Students Selected for All-State Choir

Five Southwood High School students were selected to sing in the 2021 Indiana High School All-State Honor Choir. This choir is one of a handful of all-state groups from around the country that are able to perform in person. Because of Covid choral safety protocol, the 2021 ASHC auditions and concert date were delayed and the choir had to be downsized to 150 students. The program has been shortened from six to four selections because of time constraints and safety, and the size of the audience has also been strictly limited. The honor choir will rehearse all day and perform on Friday, June 4 at 8:00 pm in the Palladium, in Carmel, Indiana.

The guest choral conductor for the Indiana High School All-State Honor Choir is Dr. Jeffery Redding. Dr. Jeffery Redding is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Central Florida. He is a Grammy Award Winning Music Educator. Nationally, Redding is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician. He has conducted the ACDA National High School Honor Choir, the Central Division ACDA Honor Choir, and the North Central Division ACDA Honor Choir, the Eastern Division ACDA Honor Choir, and All-State and Honor choirs in approximately forty states. His bio is impressive.

Southwood High School will be represented by Katelyn Ranck, Isabel Davis, Isaac King, Cage DuBois, and Lyndzy Silvers. This is Katelyn’s second year to be selected while the others are participating for the first time. Indiana’s Area 4A, which includes Kosciusko, Wabash, Huntington, Whitley, Wells, and Adams counties, was allowed a quota of eight singers to be selected but were lucky to have more singers chosen.

About the Students

Katelyn Ranck, sophomore, is the daughter of Brian and Sarah Ranck. This is her
second year to be selected for the high school All-State Honor Choir. In junior high and high school, she has earned gold medals at the district and state ISSMA contests for vocal solo and vocal ensembles. She was selected to participate in the Wabash County Honor Choir for two years. She sings in the church choir and plays piano. She is a high honor roll student and actively participates in 4-H.

Isabel Davis, senior, is the daughter of Mike and Amy Davis. This is her first year to audition and be chosen for the All-State Honor Choir. She has been a member of Southwood high school choirs for three years and has earned gold medals at the ISSMA vocal solo & ensemble district and state contests with vocal entries. She has also been selected for the Wabash County Honor Choir for 2 years in high school. She has been an active cheerleader earning an MVP award and named a 3-time All-American Cheerleader.

Lyndzy Silvers, sophomore, is the daughter of Doyle Silvers and Janet Hixson.
This is her first year in the All-State Honor Choir. She has been a member of Southwood high school choirs and band for two years. She was also selected for the Wabash County honor choir for 2 years and county honor band for 1 year in high school. She earned gold medals for vocal solos and ensembles at the ISSMA vocal solo & ensemble district and state contests. She participated in Regional Honor Band in 2018 and 2019 and ISSMA instrumental contest two years.

Cage DuBois, senior, is the son of Karin and Tommy DuBois. This is his first year in the All-State Honor Choir. He has been a member of Southwood high school choirs for four years and band for several years. He was also selected for the Wabash County Honor Choir for four years and has earned gold medals each of his four years at the ISSMA vocal solo & ensemble district and state contests with vocal solos. He has also been active in theater productions for 6 years. He hopes to pursue a career in filmmaking.

Isaac King, senior, is the son of Robin and Stacy Cooper. This is his first year to audition for the All State Honor Choir. He has been a member of Southwood high school choirs for four years. He was selected for the Wabash County Honor Choir for four years in high school, participated two years in the ISSMA vocal solo & ensemble contests and earned a gold medal for his vocal solo at the district and state contests this year. Isaac has also been successful in football and wrestling earning Southwood’s most outstanding wrestler award 2 years and earned All State Wrestling Academic Honorable Mention for 2 years.

Mrs. Susan Keefer is their choral director at Southwood Jr-Sr High School.