Shannon Hockman, a senior at Prior Lake High School, states “The National Anthem Team is a club through the PLHS choir, where we sing the National Anthem to represent our school at different sporting events.”

In order to join the National Anthem Team, a student must audition and he or she must be a strong, confident singer. This team is important to the student body because teenagers are able to find a way to show school spirit, along with pride for their country.

The National Anthem Team is a popular club that the Prior Lake High School offers to its students. Currently, about 30 kids are enrolled in this club, and more continue to join.  Sophie Zak, another senior member, shares that the two directors, Mr. Hahn and Mrs. Erlandson, are very friendly and encouraging in order to make their team as strong as possible.

Sporting events are well liked and very popular among the Prior Lake-Savage community and the student body. The National Anthem Team gets involved by singing at many different sporting events that take place at the high school. It is very common for the team to sing at boys and girls sporting events during all seasons. When the National Anthem Team sings at these events, it allows them to demonstrate their great singing ability, along with their love for their country.

At the beginning of the school year, on September 11, the PLHS team was asked to sing at the Minnesota Twins Games. The Twins’ team representatives stated that they wanted the students from Prior Lake to sing the National Anthem to open their home game. The MN Twins wanted this to be a respectful tribute to the anniversary of 9/11 at Target Field. This experience was very impactful for all the students who were involved. Hockman and Zak both state how singing at Target Field on 9/11 was “such a great honor for their team to participate in.”

Most students join the PLHS National Anthem Team because they enjoy singing, they want to help out with the community, and they have school and country pride. Hockman shares that she joined the team because, “I love my country, and I want to represent it in anyway that I can.” It is important to the students to show respect to their country, along with the school.

Even though Hockman has only been on the team this year, she says that it has been a great experience for her so far. Her advice for a teenager that wants to join the team is to, “show how you love America, and join in the National Anthem Team.” This team demonstrates how students at Prior Lake High School are able to show off both their hard work and their singing talent.