December - Giles High School

More Music!By Rose GlarnerOn November 19 th Giles High School’s Chorale got the opportunity of a lifetime! The group was accepted to participate in ConcordUniversities’ Music Festival held that Thursday. Members were able to work with music teachers at the University all day before theshow that night. Girls worked with voice teacher Linda Hawkins and the boys had the opportunity to work with Taylor Baldwin andJoshua Miller. Each of theses teachers have an extensive background in musical experience. The students also worked with membersof the Concord University Collegiate Singers and found them to be accepting and willing to help out. After a morning of hard workthe Chorale was given a wonderful lunch in the schools cafeteria, which gave them the opportunity to see a bit more of the campus.Members then went back to work, learning more about using the music to practice pronunciation and projection.The show that night was a tremendous success! The girls sang their songs and ended with a beautiful piece called “Going up ayonder.” The Boys sang beautifully as well and their performance included a moving solo given by Blake Martin, a member of thechorale who sang a verse of “Until the stars fall from the sky,” a musical piece composed by a husband-and-wife-duo. After that thestudents traveled back home and all agreed that the hard work they didduring the day was amazing, as they were able to see the ending results,a concert that went very well!Members of the Chorale are (back) Diamond Meadows,Chelsea Cole, Taneshia Campbell, Chrissy Stump, AlexHawkes, Emily Harrol, Ciara Whitten, Hayley Wlburn, BlairMcGee, Amber Lee, Olivia Humphreys, Rose Glarner,Kellan Alls, Kelsy Salvester, Marti Williams, Molly Gusler,Sarah Givens, Fallon Klecak and Brittany Agee.The boys chorale members are: Jeremiah Griggs, Carson Journell, BradLipes, Chris Johnson, Kyle Chaffin, Dustin Davis, Tanner Martin, AveryMahaney, Gianni Massaro, Ben Allamong, Seth Gautier, Justin Lovedayand Kyle Munsey. Not Pictured: Blake Martin and AnthonyWoodyardThe Candy Cane by Heath WilsonThe legend began in 1670, when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral handed out sugar sticks among his young singers tokeep them quiet during the long living Creche ceremony. The Creche ceremony is another word for a nativity scene. In honor of theoccasion, he bent the candies into Shepard’s crooks.It was not until the turn of the century that the red and white stripes and peppermint flavors became the normal for the candy. Thebody of the candy cane is white, representing the life that is pure. The broad red stripe is symbolic of the Lord’s sacrifice for men andwomen.In the 1920’s, Bob McCormack began making candy canes as a special Christmas treat for his family, friends, and localshopkeepers in Albany, Georgia. It was a long and hard process. Bob had to pull, twist, cut, and bend the cane by hand. It could onlybe done on a local scale.In the 1950’s, Bob’s brother-in-law, Gregory Keller, a Catholic priest, invented a machine to automate candy cane production.Packaging innovations by the younger McCormacks made it possible to transport the delicate candy canes on a scale that transformedBob’s Candies, Inc. into the largest producer of candy canes in the world. Some information was obtained from,www.spanglercandy.com.Today, making candy canes at home is a real easy task. There are 10 basic steps on making a candy cane at home.81. Sprinkle a thick coat of powdered sugar on a cookie sheet.2. Combine 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of corn syrup, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan.3. Cook the pan over medium-high heat until soft crack stage.4. Remove the pan from the heat.5. Add ½ teaspoon of peppermint oil and two or three drops of food coloring, stir well.6. Pour the mix onto a cookie sheet in strips of about six to eight inches long.7. Let the mix cool enough to handle.8. Roll the mix into a rope shape.9. Gently twist and make a hook on top. Place finished product onto a coated cookie sheet until hard.