Boardman students sing in Ohio youth choir

Photo

Neighbors | Submitted.Four singers from Boardman High School participated in the 50th All-Ohio Youth Choir at 2012 State Fair. The participants from Boardman were, from left, junior Cory Fowler, sophomore Hannah Pavalko, junior Kaitlin McClendon, and sophomore Braxton Mendez.

Photo

Neighbors | Submitted.There were 200 singers selected from 500 High School choir students from grades 10-12 for the All Ohio State Fair Youth Choir (AOSFYC). The students came from all over Ohio to perform and had to memorize 71 songs. The youth choir is shown performing at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources..

Four singers from Boardman High School participated in the 50th All-Ohio Youth Choir during the 2012 Ohio State Fair in Columbus.

Juniors Cory Fowler and Kaitlin McClendon participated for the second time and sophomores Braxton Mendex and Hannah Pavalko experienced their first year.

There were 200 singers selected from 500 high school choirs from all over the state. The students ranged from incoming high school sophomores to outgoing seniors. They had to memorize 71 songs that were from a variety of sources, such as traditional choir, patriotic, gospel, contemporary pop and musicals.

The AOSFYC performed 105 concerts during Ohio State Fair and lived on the fairgrounds at The Rhodes Center or Ohio Exposition Center from July 19-Aug. 5.

The AOSFYC was founded in 1963 by Glenville D. Thomas, who led the youth choir in concerts for thousands of visitors at the Ohio State Fair, directed them in a number of European tours and took them to several national parades.

Championed by four-term governor James A. Rhodes, the choir has sung for several gubernatorial inaugurations and was named Ohio’s “Singing Ambassadors of Goodwill” by the state legislature.

Since 1992, the All-Ohio Youth Choir has been led by Charles R. Snyder of Coshocton.