Chelmsford High School Group Competes In National Championship

CHELMSFORD, MA — An a cappella group from Chelmsford High School was among the top eight high school groups in the nation at International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) national championship this weekend.

The Thursdays didn't place this year during the championship, but they did best some 130 schools nationwide to come in among the top eight high school music groups.

The national championship appearance marks the fourth for The Thursdays, as they qualified in 2017, 2018 and 2019 – the latter in which they placed a best-ever third in the U.S.

During non-pandemic years, the ICHSA national final is staged at New York City’s Town Hall Theater. This year groups submitted videos of their performances and the finals was live-streamed Saturday.

The Thursdays created a video for and performed ‘Evergreen’ by the artist Yebba for each of the rounds.

“They’re pretty pleased and quite proud of their accomplishments,” said Choir Director Amanda Roeder, who is also the adviser to the group. “Going into this season they were aware it would be a completely a different format. We had zero experience making videos. I remember them discussing this saying they were going to have fun with it and do the best they can, which I think is exactly the right mindset. It was a very organic process, and completely internally motivated."

Other groups that made it to the national championship:

1. The Ozarks (Springfield, Mo., Wild Card entry) - First Place
2. WolfPACapella (Pacifica Christian H.S., Santa Monica, Calif., West Region) - Second Place
3. Sting (Rockwall H.S., Rockwall, Texas, Wild Card entry) - Third Place

• InToneNation (New Manchester H.S., Douglasville, Ga., South Region)
• SoundProof (Prairie Village, KS), Midwest Region
• The Ram Jams (Ramsey H.S., Ramsey, N.J., Mid-Atlantic Region)
• Knight Club (Oak Creek H.S., Oak Creek, Wisc., Great Lakes Region)

The Thursdays qualified for the national championship by winning both the ICHSA Northeast Region Quarterfinal and Semifinal as junior Jackie Pottle was named the Outstanding Soloist in both rounds. Senior Josh Timmins received Outstanding Vocal Percussion honors for the semifinal round.

Members of The Thursdays include:

• Senior Maya Chan
• Junior Doug Desmarais
• Senior Allison Dorsey
• Senior Mary Hamilton
• Sophomore Georgia Horan
• Senior Hannah Fuller
• Junior Emily Magnant
• Junior Keegan McCarthy
• Junior Jackie Pottle
• Junior Dan Schiefen
• Senior Danny Sousa
• Junior Matthew Smith
• Senior Josh Timmins

Watch the high school round here: