Groves A Capella is a relatively new club, created in the 2021-2022 school year, to replace show choir. We are a small, auditioned group of singers who meet once a week to learn and perfect songs that we’ve chosen to perform at different events throughout the school year.

One event that Groves A Capella does is Cedar Point’s Music in the Parks, where different schools head to Sandusky, Ohio to compete in a musical competition. Last year, A Capella decided to go on a whim and ended up winning the entire competition.

During one of our rehearsals, Carolyn Priebe, the club director, said something along the lines of, “Hey, guys. Do you want to do this? It seems kind of cool.” My teammates and I texted our families and checked our calendars. Within about ten minutes, we were registered and excited to compete.

At that point, we had been working on an arrangement of Ava Max’s Kings and Queens. Needing a second song, we decided to wow the judges with the infamous Star Spangled Banner. A few weeks later, we hit the road.

At the competition, my teammates and I knocked it out of the park. (Pun intended.) With such little time to prepare, Groves A Capella showed the judges exactly what we were made of. 

For reference, here is how the scoring system works: Scoring is based on tone, pitch, rhythm, presentation (ex. facial expression), dynamics, focus on the conductor. Possible scores, from best to worst, are as follows: Superior, Excellent, Good, and Fair.

At the Awards ceremony, sitting far in the back and struggling to make out what the speaker was saying over the rumble of roller coasters and the screams of their victims whooshing by, Groves A Capella heard a muffled: “Mixed choir, Groves A Capella, first place with a superior score,” unsure that we had heard right over the noise we hesitated before erupting into screams of another kind: astonishment and joy.

A few minutes later, the award for best overall choir was announced. This time, we sat at the ready. We were locked in, so to speak. “And the award for best overall choir goes to… Groves A Capella,” everyone screamed, grinning ear to ear. We’d won! We’d beat every single choir there! To make it even sweeter, a few minutes later they announced that our soloist, Jaedon Salata, had won the award for best solo performance, this was especially impressive because she’d only been assigned the part a few days before.

This year, with a whole new set of songs and a taste for victory, Groves A Capella hit the road once more. Preparing Game of Thrones Theme was easy, but Ariana Grande’s Breathin had us gasping for air. With only eleven members going, so we were already at a disadvantage. Knowing we were nowhere near ready with our second song, Mrs. Priebe and the rest of the team were nervous, so we held an emergency rehearsal the day before Cedar Point and practiced on the drive down.

By the time we got there, we were ready. We went into the judges’ room and gave it all we had. Then, we headed to Cedar Point for a day of thrill and fun.

While the awards ceremony didn’t start until five, we all met at the Cedar Point Pavillion thirty minutes early; we’d learned our lesson last year and were determined to get good seats. Waiting right outside the gate, we were the first ones in and seated front and center, right in front of the stage.

When the ceremony started, we anxiously waited for them to call our name. When Mixed Choirs were being announced, we were ready. “Groves A Capella in first place with a superior score.” We did it! We won! We screamed so loudly that I was glad not to have to sing for a few days.

When the ceremony ended, we went off to the side to take some pictures with our shiny new trophy. (Such as the article’s cover photo.) When later asked how it felt to win first place again, Mrs. Priebe took a second to reflect: After signing up on a whim last year, and being down to the wire this year, she only had one thing to say: “Justified.”