This week’s Staff Spotlight features Sarah Holten. I had the opportunity to interview her, and I’m happy to share her thoughts, memories, and wisdom.

Mrs. Holten told me that she has always loved to play the piano since she was 5years old. When she was in 8th grade, she started working at the swimming pool at the Cresco Fitness Center with her sister. Mrs. Holten has always liked helping kids, so she thought she should combine her love of piano and her willingness to help kids to become a choir director. At one point, she worried she would regret this career path, so she thought about being a chef.  Thankfully, her grandma shook that out of her (quite literally) and told her she should never give up on her dreams.

Mrs. Holten loves this community. She loves how everyone supports the students, whether it be in athletics, academics, or the arts. An example of this is the Monster Bash, a haunted house set up and run by students. Aiding the students is Jay Masters (who runs the house), some local volunteers, Jackie Whitacre (Drama), Duane Ledin (Band), Sarah Holten (Choir), and Samantha Bratland (Art). Students are able to earn money for their choir and band trips through the income earned at Monster Bash. This is the biggest example of how our community and communities all around us help our students.

Looking back at her favorite high school memory, Holten is caught in a tie. She has always loved her school’s Madrigal Dinners because it was an event that took up an entire weekend where the choir sang. Holten’s other favorite memory was her high school marching band. Her marching band was one of the competitive types and she was the top of the area in all areas, which she loved.

Mrs. Holten has had some amazing experiences in both her directing and singing life. As a director, Holten and her choir were able to go to the world’s largest grain bin and sing for its grand opening. As a singer, she was able to travel all the way to Australia to sing.

Mrs. Holten has quite the interesting dream. When asked what she would rather do instead of being a music director, she said, “If I could be anything, I would choose to be the backup singer to Reba McEntire or Martina McBride.”

Some advice Mrs. Holten would give her students is, “You’ll never get in trouble for trying.” This fits really well in her classroom, as she is always telling her students to try as hard as they can so they can succeed in the class.

Mrs. Holten states, “I’m glad that all those years ago I listened to my grandma because there’s never a dull moment in high school choir.” We are all grateful that she has stayed at our school and supports every single one of us.