Palatine High School Choir Program Performs in Hawaii Over Spring Break

Students in Palatine High School’s choir program had a chance to escape chilly Chicago weather during spring break and have the time of their lives performing and exploring culture in Hawaii’s tropical climate.

Sixty choir students spent five days in Oahu, Hawaii to perform at various locations and sightsee parts of the island during their downtime. Additionally, they set a high standard for behavior and positivity while they represented District 211 many miles away from home.

“I was so proud,” said Steven Sivak, choir director at Palatine High School. “For many of the students, it was a huge first experience. Some of them have never been on a plane before. Not only were they perfectly behaved, but they also sang their hearts out on a daily basis.”

The group, which was led by Sivak, performed in front of different audiences and experienced Hawaiian culture and art, including a hike up Diamond Head. At the suggestion of their flight attendant crews, they sang during their flights both to and from Hawaii. Their scheduled and impromptu performances included the Waikiki Hard Rock Café, an advertised concert at the Waikiki Beach Walk, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and Pearl Harbor.

The group also sang at the I’olani Palace as a gift offering to the Hawaiian people. In history, the tradition was large groups were to offer some sort of gift to the king and queen, and they would either accept or deny the offering. To keep the tradition alive, Hawaiian people at the palace responded back to the choir in song to accept their gift and show their approval.

Two standout and memorable performances took place at the Polynesian Cultural Center and Pearl Harbor. The impromptu performance at the cultural center took place after employees discovered the choir was there, and Sivak said students had a lot fun with the environment during the performance. He said although they weren’t planning on singing, they were very well received and had crowds cheering for them after they sang.

“Many of the students mentioned that their favorite part of the trip was at the cultural center,” Sivak said. “Witnessing the culture and participating in things like making items out of palm fronds, tasting different foods, experiencing a luau party and seeing things very different from what they know was great for them.”

During the performance at Pearl Harbor, Sivak said the tone was serious but also very moving. The choir had an opportunity to explore Pearl Harbor and watch a movie about it, which he said added emotion to their performance. Wreaths were placed at the memorial site on behalf of Palatine High School, and students dropped flowers from leis at the site to honor of those who lost their lives in World War II.

Throughout the trip, students were well-behaved even though they were having fun exploring Hawaii and performing. A stranger on the plane even commented on how they were model students and perfectly behaved throughout the flight despite being excited.

Sivak said he was proud to take his students on such a memorable trip, especially because they were able to perform many times and experience a culture very different from home. He had never been to Hawaii before and mentioned it was an honor to see his students participate in Hawaiian culture and share the trip with his students.

“I was also experiencing this trip myself, not only in preparing the choir as their director and listening to them sing, but actually taking in the events, people, and how different everything is,” he said. “It was an incredible experience and one that will remain in our memories for a long time to come.”

Information provided by Disrict 211.