A to Marching Band – Our marching band never fails to amaze and represent our school positively. Many students and staff have been lucky enough to see the band perform at the home football games, but most have not seen their competition performances. The tribute to the lives lost on 9/11, “United We Stand,” was moving, beyond emotional, and portrayed perfectly by our band. In competitions, our band had the best individual music achievement, second highest score in music ensemble achievement, and a score of 81.0, which is an increase of 13 points over this season alone. Overall, it is clear to see that all the hard work put in by our band has paid off. 

A to Meet the Choirs – Meet the Choirs was a fantastic return to the stage for Ledyard choirs after almost two years of virtual performances. Out of the Blue, the new acapella combination of Acabellas and Final Cut, had their first performance as a group and they were so much fun to listen to. For many in the audience, the group’s performance of “Come Alive” from The Greatest Showman was their favorite song of the night. Fun pieces like “Fusion” by Chamber Choir and “Drunken Sailor” by Colonel Singers, along with moving pieces such as “Where the Light Begins” by Select Singers and “We Won’t Stop Dreaming” by Concert Choir let the audience feel all the emotions in just an hour and a half. Meet the Choirs set the stage for many amazing concerts to come during the rest of the year!

B+ to Coffee House – Like always, our classmates have shocked us again with their performances, from comedy acts, to singing, to playing an instrument.  Despite the confusion with what day was best to have the coffee house, and the last-second location change, from the library courtyard to the cafeteria, this event was a huge success. Not only did students get their chance to show off their talents, but Ledyard High was lucky enough to welcome Mr. Jannke’s neighbor, “Uncle Tony”, to perform for us once again. It was so fun to see how many underclassmen signed up to perform and felt comfortable enough to do so after only being at our school for two months.  

B+ to Halloween – Considering that over the past two years we haven’t been given the opportunity to trick or treat, dress up, or even go to a costume party due to COVID-19 concerns, this year’s Halloween was thrilling! Halloween was even on a Sunday, so we were able to have a “Halloweekend” and many students spent it at parties, with friends, getting candy, and carving pumpkins. The only downside to Halloween was the cold weather! 

B to Spirit Week and Pep Rally – After not having a pep rally in two years, it was refreshing to have the fun week of dress up leading up to our pep rally full of entertaining games. Another perk of the spirit week/pep rally was that our school was the most unified it had been in a while and allowed for friendly competition between classes. However, the underclassmen didn’t seem to enjoy spirit week as much as others, as it was shown that their participation was the lowest throughout the week. Luckily for the seniors, they took home the victory at their last fall pep rally, showing they dominated the games. The only criticism that can be given for the week is that many students agree that the themes for spirit week could have been more creative and unique.

D to Temperature in the School – As it gets colder, I think we can all agree that walking into a warm school in the morning is so comforting, but unfortunately at Ledyard High, the classrooms have either been very hot or very cold. As proof, the library was up to 82 degrees for a few days due to the heating unit being broken. This was happening while in some rooms teachers were wearing their coats due to the heaters not being able to run. With this being said, I think it’s also important to recognize the work our janitors are doing to keep our school toasty, and to be patient while appliances, like the heaters, are being fixed!

F to No Homecoming – COVID-19 has taken so much from students, including yet another Homecoming Dance. With no Homecoming, the freshmen are missing out on their first dance of high school, and the seniors are missing out on their last possible Homecoming. Although the students understand the severity of the spread of Covid, it is definitely sad to see another event stolen from the school calendar. Homecoming court was announced at the pep rally despite not having the dance, which allowed students to have the fun of voting for who they wanted to represent their class and the individuals who won to be crowned. 

F to PowerSchool being down – One inconvenience for the student body and staff is PowerSchool being down right before the quarter ends. During the time of the year, not being able to access grades is a huge bother because students aren’t able to see the work they are missing or the work they need to make up before the quarter closes on the 5th. Ledyard Schools merging Powerschool via the new Albert System is why it isn’t working for everyone at this time, but it is unknown why this system was put in place. 

Emily Goodrich, Staff Writer

Senior Emily Goodrich is a staff writer for the 2021-2022 yearbook. She is the class Vice President and an NHS member. When she’s not harassing her mom to go to the beach or with friends, you could probably find her napping.