Chantilly High School - Arts & Activities

Arts & Activities

Many of the sports teams have qualified for district, regional, and/or state competitions. Various clubs and honor societies are active throughout the school year. In December 2007, The Odyssey's adviser/teacher, Mary Kay Downes, won the National Yearbook Adviser of the Year award for her work for yearbooks all over the county.

The Chantilly High School Fine Arts department has received many awards over the years. The CHS Mighty Marching Chargers have received many awards, including Grand Champion at the Virginia Showcase of Bands and Grand Champion between 2003 and 2006 at the JMU Parade of Champions. The Mighty Marching Chargers were undefeated in the state of Virginia from 2000–2005. Chantilly's indoor drumline has won eleven Atlantic Indoor Association championships (1997, 1999, 2001 – 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011). The indoor drumline has also won five Winter Guard International regionals (Nashville 2003 and Richmond 2011 in PSA class; Coatesville 2006, Richmond 2007, and Dayton 2008 in PSO), and was the 2011 WGI Percussion Scholastic A class world champion. In December 2011, the Chantilly High School Mighty Marching Chargers represented the Commonwealth of Virginia in the first annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Each March, the school hosts the Chantilly Invitational Jazz Festival, which showcases middle and high school bands from across the region, as well as distinguished guest performers. Chantilly Jazz won the Down Beat Magazine award for Best High School Jazz Band for 1985 that included groups from across the entire United States. Chantilly Jazz placed 2nd in the Down Beat Magazine competition in 1986.

Chantilly is also noted for having an excellent choral music program, housing the award winning show choir, Touch of Class. With seven choirs total, the Chantilly Choral program features both award winning show choirs and concert ensembles. In 2006, the show choir won 2nd place at a national show choir competition in San Antonio, TX. Touch of Class and the Chantilly Jazz Band join together every Memorial Day weekend for their hit show "Jazz and Pizzazz," a widely recognized performance. Touch of Class was also featured on Fox News in November 2010, when it was named America's Favorite Show Choir in a National Contest hosted by Parade Magazine. Touch of Class was created by Glenn Cockrell, and remained under his direction until his retirement from the school in June of 2012. The choirs are currently under the direction of Juliana Woodill and Evan Ayers.

The string orchestras, under the direction of Aaron Mynes, have also made some notable accomplishments, placing among some of the top orchestras in North America, as well as earning high scores and superior ratings at orchestra assessments. The orchestras regularly contribute musicians to district, regional, and state orchestras. In 2010, the top orchestra was asked to perform at the Virginia Music Educator's Association conference in Norfolk. All three orchestras regularly take part in competitions along the east coast.

On April 12, 2011, the Chantilly High School orchestras and choirs were invited to perform at the closing of the 10th Annual Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards in the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.