Alright, let’s rock and roll! Mentor High School’s Top 25 show choir is gearing up to put on their annual Big Show that’s going to be totally rad – like totally! So mark your calendars for Friday, May 5th and Saturday, May 6th, because you won’t want to miss a second of these performances! Both shows are at 7 p.m. in the Mentor High School Fine Arts Center.

Top 25 is the show choir here at Mentor High School, meaning that the students in this group perform a series of musical numbers that encompass a form of choreography to go along with choral performance (think about a dance number in a musical in which the actors sing songs while dancing. Show Choir is a series of this variety of musical numbers).

The songs which Top 25 sings each year are dependent on a theme that varies on a year-to-year basis. This year, Top 25’s theme is “Back to the 80’s!” featuring several 80’s classics such as Thriller, Footloose, and Take on Me. For anybody out there longing to return to a time in which leg warmers were in style and big hair was a must, Top 25 is sure to scratch that itch.

Each summer, Top 25 travels to different locations around the United States in order to deliver their performances to new audiences. Following their week-long trip to Disney World last summer,  this year, Top 25 will stay local and spend half of a week in nearby Cedar Point in early June where they will put on a number of performances while also enjoying all that the park has to offer.

This year, Top 25 has faced a litany of adversity, namely a change in leadership midway through the year with Mrs. LeeAnn Lyttle assuming the position of director after having joined the group as assistant director just weeks prior. In spite of this, the group has worked tirelessly to put forth a product that is unreflective of the struggles in which they faced throughout the year.

“I came into this position late in the season and there was a lot of work to be done,” Mrs. Lyttle says on the topic of adversity. “Morale was low and their dedication was wavering. They steadily worked each week and as headway was made, their confidence increased. I am incredibly proud of their progress. This week alone they learned two new numbers for our Big Show. I couldn’t be more excited for them and my future plans for this talented group.”

Leah Hodkey, one of just two four-year seniors in Top 25, is dreading her tenure with the group coming to an end, saying.

“I love the positive environment and the great friendships that are formed through the group,” Leah says. “We always have a good time when we are together, and give our all into the performances. I know that this is one of the things I’ll miss most after graduation.”

Throughout the year, Top 25 has held a variety of performances at various locations, ranging from Show Choir Festivals at neighboring high schools to car dealerships. Yet none of their performances thus far have included their entire set list or individual solos by seniors, making the Big Show an incredibly unique and exciting opportunity for audience members that you will certainly want to take advantage of!