Every year, choirs from all across Illinois attend the Illinois High School Association Organizational Contest to perform before dozens of other high school choirs and be scored and advised by nationally renowned judges. Schools all over Illinois open their campuses to host the contest for the year. Competing choirs are given a ten minute period to perform to the best of their ability in front of three experienced judges, where they then are rated on Tonal Quality, Balance/Blend, Rhythm, Intonation, Interpretation (dynamics), Technique, Performance Factors and Diction. Each area is scored from five points, 5.0 being the highest score that can be awarded in any individual section, meaning nearly perfect in every manner. The lowest a choir can score in any section is a 1.0, meaning completely lacking and unsatisfactory. Although the grading scale ranges Division I (40.0, a perfect score, to 36.0), through Division V (11.9 to 8.00), very rarely does anyone score lower than a Division III (27.9 to 20.0).

This year, all three Antioch Community High School choirs were given the opportunity to complete in IHSA contest. Concert choir was awarded two Is and one high II for a composite score of Division I (36.7). Treble Choir was given two IIs and a high III for a composite score of Division II (31.5).

The A Cappella choir received the highest composite score throughout the entire time Michael Hickey has been working as the choir director at ACHS. This year they received two perfect scores and 38.2, combining for a final score of Division I (39.4), only .6 points away from a perfect score.

Congratulations choir members!