Fitch student set to sing at OK Inc. session

By Billy Ludt | September 22, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

AUSTINTOWN

Sarah Linton wasn’t expecting to be singing by herself in front of a conference-sized crowd in Columbus.

“I’ve never been more nervous in my life, but I’m beyond excited,” she said.

Linton’s performance of an original composition titled “Draw the Line” from a short film of the same name caught the attention of officials from Operation Keepsake.

On Sept. 14, OK Inc. had its fifth annual Friends4Friends Campaign Film Festival at DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown Youngstown, where area schools showcased short films they made on specific issues teens face. Linton and her classmates at Austintown Fitch entered “Draw the Line.”

She plays a lead role in the film, which focuses on the sexual pressure between two high-school-age students. She is heard singing while the credits roll.

“I was in shock,” she said. “I was beyond excited. I didn’t think about it. I just said yes. I don’t like to pass up opportunities.”

OK Inc. asked Linton to sing during its session today at the Ohio Adolescent Health Centers Conference on Youth at Quest Conference Center in Columbus. They’re showcasing three short films from the Friends4Friends campaign, including Fitch’s entry.

“Without telling her what to do, I told her you need to do this,” said Fitch choir director Bill Klein. “This is a big deal.”

Klein plays the piano part from “Draw the Line” heard in the short film, and will perform with Linton in Columbus.

“I was really excited for Sarah,” he said.

“This is a great performance opportunity for her in front of a bigger crowd. It’s a really big, professional setting.”

Linton has performed in Austintown schools’ choir since the fifth grade.

“It’s funny. I auditioned for band, and they told me I wasn’t good enough,” she said.

Seven years later, she’s a part of Fitch’s concert choir, speech and debate team and is cast in the school’s performance of “Beauty and the Beast” later this year.

“But this came up, and I said, ‘It’s one more thing on your plate, but you can’t pass it up,’” Klein said.