Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  At the end of last Wednesday's choir concert, Nederland Middle Senior High School senior Bri Lindstrom sang a song she wrote for Miles Pancoast.

"I don't know why these things happen," she sang, accompanied by her guitar, "But we are going to wrap you up and take you home."

It was sweet song, sad but filled with encouragement and hope, but mostly love. Miles is a senior student who was injured in a car accident and is going through recovery therapy at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver. In the last week, there have been many benefits to raise funds for expenses incurred while Miles stays in Denver.

Donations filled a jar at the entrance to the auditorium, much-needed money to get the Pancoasts through these hard times.

NMSHS concerts are always one of the highlights of each school season. This was the first concert of the year, and the first time there was a sixth grade choir included in the program. Dressed in their white shirts and black bow ties, the choir danced jigs and sang from their hearts, shrugging off stage fright and moving like they meant it in the Ozark Mountain Dances American Folk Songs.

The seventh-eighth grade choir, in black tops with red bow ties and red scarves stole the show with their soulful Sounds of Silence in perfect harmony.

Wearing blue and black and looking classy, the Festival Choir demonstrated their musical prowess with inspirational number such as Brave, Team and Just Give Me a Reason.

The Loquations, NMSHS's cream of the crop, in formal concert dress, black and white, demonstrated their proficiency in adapting their voices to foreign languages in O Occhi, manza mia by Orlando di Lasso. Then they did an about face and crooned, in a creamy smooth Jazz style, Tenderly, by Jack Lawrence and Walter Gross.

The NMSHS concert was a tribute to the pride that director Liz Evans instills in her students to do their best, to find their voices and know that what they have to offer is treasured by their community.