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A Group With a Big Heart

The+girls+of+the+group+perform+the+song+Shes+In+Love+from+the+musical+The+Little+Mermaid.+
Rachel Labarre
The girls of the group perform the song She’s In Love from the musical “The Little Mermaid.”

“Popular,” “Circle of Life,” and “Put on a Happy Face,” are all songs any young child would be delighted to listen to on New Years Eve…and they could. On December 31, a singing group, For the Heart, performed at Saugatuck Elementary School as a part of First Night. This is the fourth time the group has performed in the past seven years, and members are almost all Staples students.

Among the Bouncy Castles, hot dogs and pizza, magic shows, face painting, and fortune tellers, many families ventured to the auditorium to hear the current Staples students and some Staples alumni perform.

“It’s a nice break for families to sit down and relax all together and listen to songs that they all know and love,” Cara McNiff ’14, a member of For the Heart, said.

For 45 minutes, the students not only sang Disney tunes, but also contemporary and well-known songs, such as “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, “Gone Gone Gone” by Phillip Phillips, and “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts.

According to McNiff, they “100 percent” tried to cater their song choices to the audience that they expected – children and families.

However, over half of the group is either Staples Alumni or graduating seniors, so For the Heart appears to have an endangered existence.

There are some who joined the group this year, such as Zoe Samuels ’16, and they will miss those who are graduating, or already did. “It felt really great to be up there with all the people that have been a part of For the Heart for so many years,” she said.

But Melissa Beretta ’14, the director of the group, thinks that their performance at First Night will continue for years.

 “First Night is a great way for everyone in college to come home and sing together again,” Beretta said. “Even if we live in all different parts of the country we can come together for First Night and continue doing what we love.”

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About the Contributor
Rachel Labarre, Managing Editor
She trades her pointe shoes in for her spiral notebook.  Her dance classes for journalism classes.  Her spot at the front of the stage for her position on the Inklings staff. Rachel Labarre '14 has the unique ability to allow the creativity and passion she has in the dance studio to influence her writing style and work ethic. This work ethic is what gives Labarre the edge it takes to hold one of the most prestigious spots on the Inklings staff: Managing Editor. But what got her there? Labarre’s first claim to fame was her dance career, but there was one thing holding her back. “On top of the problems with my feet that I already had, I broke my foot during dress rehearsal for our big recital,” Labarre said. This forced Labarre to cut back on dance classes the following year.  All the energy and creativity that was once put into nailing a routine needed an outlet.  She found this outlet through writing for Inklings. Labarre landed a job as an editor her sophomore year.  She then went from Editor of Arts and Entertainment to Features Editor.  Labarre’s inventiveness has allowed her to climb the steps to the top of Inklings. “When you write there’s a certain part that requires creativity; whether it’s getting a good angle or keeping your readers engaged.  You have to do the same in dance; whether it’s perfecting the choreography or figuring out what will look the most atheistically pleasing” Labarre  said.  She was able to prove this ability in her article on the Sandy Hook shooting, which got over 50,000 hits.  This passion for the arts and creativity has not only led LaBarre to success on the stage, but in the classroom as well.  

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