C-M singers support the Salvation Army with Peters performance
Students in Canon-McMillan High School’s Bella Voce ensemble perform at Kmart in Peters Township on behalf of the Salvation Army’s Canonsburg-Houston Service Unit.
Canon-McMillan High School students took time out of their Christmas break to sing in support of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign.
Canon-McMillan High School choir director Maggie Sisson leads the ensemble.
McMURRAY – Shoppers who enjoy hearing holiday music, but not necessarily the kind that’s pumped through a store’s sound system, got a nice treat Monday at Kmart in Peters Township.
To help call attention to the Salvation Army’s kettle, about 20 Canon-McMillan High School students gathered inside the store to help celebrate the season.
Members of the ensemble Bella Voce – that’s “beautiful voice,” and it sure sounded that way – performed for pleased patrons who came for the shopping and stayed, at least for a little while, for the singing.
“I’m very appreciative that they decided to give up their first day of Christmas break and come in,” high school choir director Maggie Sisson said, between sets of about 45 minutes each.
The Kmart appearance is one of many for Bella Voce in recent weeks, including performances for the likes of Country Meadows of South Hills, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Greenery Specialty Care of Canonsburg and St. Clair Country Club. That includes a Saturday show on behalf of the Canonsburg Food Pantry.
“They’re really a great group of kids,” Sisson said.
As singers, they shone through on a combination of solemn and lighthearted holiday favorites, culminating in the men doing their own take on “The 12 Days of Christmas,” having a blast in the process.
“This was their last opportunity to do that,” Sisson explained, “so they were really excited.”
While the students sang, shoppers contributed to the kettle.
“This year, the students at the high school really stepped up,” Tracie Sohyda said. An elementary guidance counselor of Canon-McMillan School District, she also volunteers as red kettle coordinator for the Canonsburg-Houston Service Unit of the Salvation Army.
She complimented Kmart management for allowing such a large contingent to perform, compared with the couple of folks who usually ring bells outside.
“Every penny that we collect in these kettles goes back to local families,” she said. “We are here to help families in need.”