On Saturday, November 17, several Gouverneur students had the honor of participating in the annual Zone 5 Area All-state concerts for concert band, string orchestra, and mixed choir. These students, including Sylvia French, Nicholas Bloxham, Carly Bartholomew, Emalyn Kulp, Lydia Blaine, Kylan Bowman, Tiamane Hull, Cayden Brown, and Jackson Ritchie, had performed a NYSSMA solo in front of a judge in the year prior and scored well enough to be selected to participate in Area All-state. On Friday, November 16, the students practiced together from 9 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, and on Saturday, they practiced until their concert. Each group performed incredibly well, with the band playing “Silvercrest,” “Whispers From Beyond,” “Eire,” and “Mystic Voyage” under the director Michael Struzik. The mixed choir performed “Past Life Melodies,” “The Stars Stand Up in the Air,” “This Little Light of Mine,” and “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” with director David Fryling, and the string orchestra performed “The Abduction From the Seraglio Overture,” “The Idylls of Pegasus,” and “Variations on a Well-Known Sea Chanty” with director William Mercer. We congratulate the students who were honored to be chosen, and we look forward to having more Gouverneur students attending next year.