In late December, choral director Kelly Sipes announced she would be leaving the district to pursue a new opportunity. In early January, she announced her last day would be Feb. 28. 

Seniors Jillian Pierannunzio and Laura Reed have been Sipes’ students since their freshman years. 

“I’m sad that she [Sipes] has to go but happy for her. She will get to do amazing things,” Pierannunzio said.

“I’m pretty sad about Mrs. Sipes leaving,” Reed said. “It is definitely the best for herself and her career, but it is hard to lose a teacher you’ve worked with for a while, especially during this busy time of year.”

Senior Charlie Bolvin has mixed emotions regarding Sipes’ departure. 

“I’m happy that Mrs. Sipes is going to do something that will benefit her more, but I am definitely sad to see her go,” Bolvin said. “She is a massive inspiration for me.”

This school year is junior Kameron Mayhue’s first year with Vocal Ensemble. 

“I feel upset; she has taught me so much and has made me the true singer I am today,” Mayhue said. 

This year is junior Gabrielle Beldin’s second year in Vocal Ensemble, but she has worked with Sipes for three years. 

“I am happy that she is doing what is best for her personally, but I’m very sad that I won’t finish my high school career with her as my chorus teacher,” Beldin said. 

Although students are sad to see her go, they also have learned many lessons from Sipes. 

“[My biggest takeaway is] everything she has taught me to be a better musician,” Pierannunzio said. 

“She [Sipes] doesn’t give up,” Mayhue said. “When I came into high school I was singing everything down the octave,  but she stuck with me and now I can sing higher than I ever could.”

“She [Sipes] has helped me with so many things throughout my high school years in chorus and vocal ensemble,” Senior Sky Rutherford said. “She is the reason I compete at PMEA [Pennsylvania Music Educators Association], she gave me the confidence I needed to put myself out there and she always tried her best to set her students up for success.” 

The lessons members have learned don’t just revolve around music, but life as well. 

“[My biggest lesson is] You should not put the pressure on yourself to be perfect,” Reed said. “Perfection is not part of being human, especially right away so you should not beat yourself up over mistakes, but learn from them.”

“No matter what kind of day you’re having, you can make it into a good day,” Bolvin said. “She [Sipes] always comes to school with a smile on her face and a good attitude, that is the most important thing.”

Although students are sad to see her go, it also allows members to reflect on some of their most loved moments as an ensemble. 

“My favorite Vocal Ensemble memory was our white elephant gift exchange which we did for Christmas my sophomore year,” Beldin said. “It was really fun, and I think everyone just had a lot of laughs with one another.”

“My favorite memory is traveling with the entire ensemble,” Bolvin said. “It’s excellent team building and I love getting to hangout.”

Students are also using this time to reflect on the memories they have made during their time with Sipes. 

“My favorite memory of Mrs. Sipes would have to be during ‘Toona Tune-Up’ in May of 2024,” Rutherford said. “Most of the Vocal Ensemble members chose to go with her because we all know each other and enjoy her company. We showed up in the morning, and finished the community service pretty quickly, so she ended up teaching some of us how to play pickleball, which is literally her favorite thing to do. We all had so much fun, and it seemed like it made her so happy to see us interested in something she loves to do.”

“My favorite memory of Mrs. Sipes is when she helped me with my audition for the musical,” Bolvin said. “She really listened to me sing and gave me honest feedback to help me do better. All she ever wanted was for us to improve and constantly strive to do better.

“My favorite memory of Mrs. Sipes had to be when we saw her cry at the Christmas concert, Mayhue said. “Not that it was fun to see her cry, but we got to see how much we truly mean to her and she didn’t take us for granted.

With Sipes leaving mid-year, students have many questions and concerns in regards to what the rest of the year will look like. 

“It’s very uncertain what will happen when she leaves,” Pierannunzio said. “I’m nervous for end of year activities.” 

Pieranunnzio isn’t the only member who is worried about what the future holds for the ensemble. 

“I genuinely think the rest of the year will suck, not that it’s a personal issue of anyone but it’s the fact that we’re stepping into a new area with a new person,” Mayhue said. 

“To be honest, I think it will be a mess, but Mrs. Sipes is trying her best to set everything up for the new teacher if we even have one for the rest of the year,” Rutherford said. “There is a possibility we will only be given a sub which is extremely stressful because that means that all of the repertoire for our concerts coming up in spring are on us to learn alone.”

Bolvin and Reed both choose to look to the future in a positive way. 

“I think the rest of the year will be pretty difficult for everyone since it is so different from what we are used to, but we will learn a lot from and with each other as we go through the rest of the year,” Reed said. 

 “I think the rest of the school year will go however we [the ensemble] make it,” Bolvin said. “It’s up to us as an ensemble to work diligently to make good music.”