Staff Writer
The Apex High Chorus flew to O'ahu, Hawaii to sing at the USS Missouri Memorial, and open the Annual Pearl Harbor Day Parade with the Star-Spangled Banner on December 4.
On December 5, the students put on their leis, long black dresses, and tuxedos, before heading out to the USS Missouri Memorial, for a tour and a performance.
As the chorus sang, people stopped and watched. Later that day, at the USS Arizona/Bowfin Memorial, Pearl Harbor veterans were surprised with a rendition of “Danny Boy”, an old war song from Ireland. Several of the survivors had tears running down their cheeks. “We will never forget our day at Pearl Harbor,” Apex High Chorus director Heather Copley commented, “We had the honor of singing for four of the surviving eight of the USS Arizona. We had the privilege of hearing their stories. It brought meaning and purpose to our trip.”
The USS Arizona Memorial will forever have a special place in the AHS chorus students’ hearts. When walking into the memorial, no one said anything, besides the polite, and occasional, “thank you”. They could clearly see the rainbow rings of oil in the water, showing that oil is still leaking from the ship, even after 73 years. Chorus senior, Rebekah Gould said, “It was very sobering and we do often forget about what this nation stands for.” In the back of the memorial, there was a room with all the names of the fallen soldiers on the far wall, “I was overwhelmed when seeing the names on the wall. There was a Gould there, and I don't know if we're related, but we could've been.” Gould added.
Apart from singing, the group did a lot of sightseeing, such as touring the island, including making a stop at a Dole pineapple plantation, while the night was spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center, involving a luau and a performance with lots of firepower.
The day of December 7 started off with a catamaran tour and ended with the choir singing the National Anthem to begin the Pearl Harbor Day Parade.
The trip came to a close the next day, with a hike up Diamondhead and a delayed flight, causing the group to miss the connecting flight to Charlotte. Junior Ashley Keppen stated, “I just felt exhausted, knowing that it was going to create problems with our schedule, and that we'd have to handle it as it happened, without any planning.” Luckily, they arrived home on time and safely, to the rainy Apex they know and call home.
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| Apex High School Chorus on the USS Missouri |
As the chorus sang, people stopped and watched. Later that day, at the USS Arizona/Bowfin Memorial, Pearl Harbor veterans were surprised with a rendition of “Danny Boy”, an old war song from Ireland. Several of the survivors had tears running down their cheeks. “We will never forget our day at Pearl Harbor,” Apex High Chorus director Heather Copley commented, “We had the honor of singing for four of the surviving eight of the USS Arizona. We had the privilege of hearing their stories. It brought meaning and purpose to our trip.”
The USS Arizona Memorial will forever have a special place in the AHS chorus students’ hearts. When walking into the memorial, no one said anything, besides the polite, and occasional, “thank you”. They could clearly see the rainbow rings of oil in the water, showing that oil is still leaking from the ship, even after 73 years. Chorus senior, Rebekah Gould said, “It was very sobering and we do often forget about what this nation stands for.” In the back of the memorial, there was a room with all the names of the fallen soldiers on the far wall, “I was overwhelmed when seeing the names on the wall. There was a Gould there, and I don't know if we're related, but we could've been.” Gould added.
Apart from singing, the group did a lot of sightseeing, such as touring the island, including making a stop at a Dole pineapple plantation, while the night was spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center, involving a luau and a performance with lots of firepower.
The day of December 7 started off with a catamaran tour and ended with the choir singing the National Anthem to begin the Pearl Harbor Day Parade.
The trip came to a close the next day, with a hike up Diamondhead and a delayed flight, causing the group to miss the connecting flight to Charlotte. Junior Ashley Keppen stated, “I just felt exhausted, knowing that it was going to create problems with our schedule, and that we'd have to handle it as it happened, without any planning.” Luckily, they arrived home on time and safely, to the rainy Apex they know and call home.
