The Trenton Times published the following article on May 9, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

Trenton Central High School’s gospel choir wins first place at competition in Atlanta

By Erin Duffy/The Times of Trenton 
on May 09, 2013 at 5:28 AM

TRENTON — They fought through sore throats, bad weather and pre-show jitters.

And members of Trenton Central High School’s inspirational gospel choir still emerged as champions last Saturday, when they won first place honors in the chorale division at The Music in the Parks band, orchestra and choir competition in Atlanta.

“Every time someone says ‘Trenton Central High School,’ they always say it’s a bad place,” 10th grade choir member Wayne Elster said. “We went out of state to Georgia, we sung our hearts out and it showed good things come out of Trenton Central High School.”

Twenty-nine students flew to Atlanta with three adults, including teacher and chorale director Gary Taylor and Norberto Diaz, the district’s supervisor of visual and performing arts and gifted and talented, for a five-day trip that started last Wednesday and ended early Sunday morning.

Students in the choir come from TCHS and the TCHS West campus, and one performer, Jaquan Colvin, is an eighth grader at Hedgepeth-Williams Elementary School.
Colvin won a medal for best tenor soloist at the competition.

Singing a trio of inspirational songs like “I Just Want To Praise You,” the Trenton choir beat out 20 other high schools for top honors, including groups from Tennessee, Alabama, Miami and New Orleans.

The group learned one piece, a tricky four-part harmony called “Little Innocent Lamb,” just one week before heading to Atlanta.

“After they sang that, all their rivals stood up and applauded them,” Diaz said. “These are the kids working against them, their rivals, their competitors, and they were amazed.”
Still riding high from their win, excited students said yesterday that the trip brought the entire choir closer together and made them proud to represent Trenton and their teacher, Taylor.

“The Trenton board of education gave us all this money for the trip, Shiloh Baptist Church gave us vans to the airport and all these people gave us support,” sophomore Andrew Holt said. “It was nice to have support from our city. When we won, it felt like a miracle. Everybody believed in us from Trenton.”

The school board agreed to pay $25,000 for the trip to the competition and Diaz said the choir’s win proved the board made a good investment.

“They’re a gospel choir but I said a lot of Hail Marys before we came down here,” Diaz joked.

Students said that the opportunity to join the choir, grow under Taylor’s watch and compete at a major competition was something they’ll never forget.

“After three years in this choir, we sound so beautiful,” senior Jhaneile Jackson said. “Our lead singer, every time he sings he brings tears to my eyes. We’re one big, happy family and I’m blessed to be here. This choir saved me. A lot.”

Freshman Deshawn Neal said TCHS is known mainly for its stellar athletics. With their win, the choir got a taste of victory, too.

“We’re all a part of the winning team now,” he said.

Taylor said the after-school choir was an outlet for talented students, some of whom struggled with their grades or personal problems before they joined.

“A lot of these kids have issues, but they come here and they escape,” he said.
Senior Robert Ruffis agreed.

“We all come from different backgrounds, not everybody knows everyone’s stories, but when we come to choir, we leave all the bad things aside to sing for glory, to inspire people,” he said.