Winter is nearly behind us, which means winter sports seasons will soon be finished. Students from Forest View and John Jay Elementary made the most of that fact over the weekend with a special trip to Rosemont, Ill.

Fine arts representatives from CCSD59 have made annual trips to Chicago Wolves games over the last several years to take part in a special performance. Forest View and John Jay chorus members joined students from over 20 area schools for a singing performance in front of the Allstate Arena crowd on Sunday. 20 fourth and fifth grade students took part in a vocal pop medley, while many brought family members to put the group at over 100 total visitors.

Students got the VIP treatment throughout the game, earning camera time on the video board and souvenirs to take home. They also received some nice words from Wolves’ National Anthem singer and Senior Executive Vice President, Wayne Messmer.

“I was very pleased with how the Wolves did it this year,” said Moira Burdi, a fine arts teacher at Forest View. “Each school was introduced and shown on the jumbotron before the group sang. (Messmer) complimented the students on their great voices and invited them to join him in singing the National Anthem.”

While Forest View has made the trip in the past, this marked the first time John Jay students took part in this experience. Chorus members from Brentwood, Juliette Low, and Holmes and Grove Junior High have also performed. Burdi and other staff members added that students were able to bond with classmates that they may not get to see as often.

“We had time to meet with our friends and show other people what we had worked on,” said Danna, a fifth grade student at John Jay.

Both Burdi and Matthew Doran, a fine arts teacher at John Jay, received much appreciation from parents for putting the event together and providing an opportunity for their students to perform on this stage.

“It was a wonderful event for our school community,” said Doran. “Students and families came together to enjoy friendly conversations, a fun performance, and an exciting overtime win by the Wolves.”