The red-chaired auditorium of Millard South has seen decades of jazz hands, quick-changes, and sweat. But this year, the Show Choir program isn’t just relying on history; it is being shaped by it.
A wave of alumni has returned, trading their sequins and suits for teaching and guiding as the 2025-2026 school year began.
For Assistant Director Laura Spieler, returning to the program was about more than music; it was about the mentor who stayed by her side.
“Amy Sweets… has been a constant in my life for the past nine years,” Spieler said. “She instilled in me a very deep love for the show choir family at South. If I’m even half as loving and supportive of my students as she was of me, I will have succeeded.”
Spieler, who remembers her life changing as an eighth-grader watching SOS perform, now focuses on the emotional health of show choir, making sure that every student is thriving as much as they are able to.
“My class went through some really hard things together, which is why I’ll always care about the people over the product,” she noted, adding that while the family bond is necessary, she wants to push the group to realize they do phenomenally on the stage.
Joining Spieler is Assistant Director Kaylee Snowardt, another alum who felt the pull of the Millard South High School music department. For Snowardt, the program was a sanctuary during the “highs and lows” of high school.
“I wanted to come back to make a difference in students’ lives as well as to help give this program the love it endlessly deserves,” Snowardt explained, “The students need to be enjoying themselves, making memories, growing in different skillsets, and be able to see the worth within all of their endless capabilities.”
The return of alumni isn’t limited to the vocal side. William Keller, now a band director and collaborative pianist for both South on Stage and Stage One, remembers a time when SOS wasn’t a constant finalist. His journey from student to director was fueled by a desire to see that growth continue.
“As a student, it frequently looked like the most successful schools were the ones with the most money,” Keller admitted, “As a director, I understand that those groups are really good… because of how hard they work. Any group can become successful regardless of the amount of income they have.”
To continue on, Assistant Director Bradyn Bode says that in order to become our best we need to embody excellent members.
“It all starts in rehearsal,” Bode said, “Once a group realizes how important September, October, and November are… that alone would make a good group great and a great group amazing.”
While the staff may be new to their roles, they are full of memoried of traditions that define the program—specifically the pre-show rituals.
“It was something that really meant a lot every year, but it impacted me the most my freshman year after a student in the program passed away,” Bode recalled. “I think it is a great way to lock in and relax before going out.”
As the competition season approaches, the message from the alumni staff is clear: the trophies are temporary, but the family is permanent. As Alum Kaylee Snowardt puts it, “I want show choir to be a safe place, and one that shapes students positively for years to come.”
