Oran High School choir club hits a high note with return after 30 years

Photo provided The Oran High School Choir Club poses for a group picture. The new club, which has a total of 70 members, brings choir to the students for the first time in 30 years. The students have been singing Christmas carols at nursing homes and local parades.

ORAN, Mo. — In recent weeks, the Oran R-3 School District has seen a surge in popularity for its new choir club.

Amanda Flanigan, band and music instructor at Oran High School, said the school hasn’t had a choir in at least 30 years.

Flanigan, the Oran band and music instructor and an Oran alum, said it had always been her dream for Oran to have a choir, but it was not available when she was in school. 

“When I was in school here, we only had band, and I wanted to just see if the kids were interested,” Flanigan said.

Flanigan said she decided to start choir as a club to see if students would be interested, and to her surprise, a large number of students were.

According to Flanigan, many students attended the first meeting. 

“Seeing that many students is what made me follow through with it,” Flanigan said. “I really wanted bring sports and music together.

Flanigan continued: “Sometimes band gets looked down at, and I really wanted to bridge that gap between sports and band. So, I encouraged the basketball boys and cheerleaders and other athletes to join, and they all joined.”

Flanigan said she was surprised by the number of athletes who wanted to participate, but she was glad so many people were interested.

According to Flanigan, the choir club has 70 members and is open to students in grades 7-12. 

According to Flanigan, the choir club has been extremely busy, especially during the Christmas season, visiting nursing homes and singing at Oran Elementary.

“We have visited the Chaffee Nursing Home and Clearview Nursing Home in Sikeston,” Flanigan said. “We have been singing Christmas carol songs, like ‘Silent Night,’ ‘Joy to the World’ and more.”

Flanigan said her favorite thing the choir club has done so far was the Oran parade on Dec. 11. 

“Oran had their first Christmas parade ever and at the end of the parade, the choir club actually got to go up next to city hall and sing,” Flanigan said. “There were hundreds of people there. It was truly like a Hallmark moment, and it was great to see the community come together.”

Flanigan said as of right now, the choir is just a club and not offered as a class but she hopes to bring the choir back as a class.

Oran High School Principal Brent Trankler said having the choir at the school has been a great experience.

“It really has been a neat thing to see,” Trankler said. “We have so many students involved in it, and it’s a really great story. I would have never expected that half the school wants to be in choir.”