National Anthem, First Pitch Give Gate City Opportunity for Community Outreach

Nervous excitement filled the group right before they were given their cue to start, but the Gate City Charter Academy choir performed wonderfully. The singers were on hand to perform the national anthem before the Greensboro Grasshoppers minor league baseball team took on the Asheville Tourists. Principal Hilary Clancy was honored with the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

“The choir did an amazing job even though many of them were very nervous about the size of the crowd,” Clancy said. “It was a proud moment to see them sing with confidence and pride representing Gate City. Shaniqua Joseph, our choir teacher, did a wonderful job prepping them along with two other teachers, Thaddaeus Lamb and Sydni Howell.”

Clancy had her own challenge to be nervous about, but she took care to prepare. Earlier in the day, she measured 60 feet, 6 inches in her backyard to represent the distance from a pitcher’s mound to home plate so she could prepare for her big throw later that evening.

“My goal was to get it from point A to point B,” she said. “The announcer asked me if I wanted to scoot up and I said, ‘absolutely not.’”

The crowd cheered when Clancy’s pitch found the catcher’s mitt, a bit high and outside, but well within acceptable tolerances. The experience for her and the choir marked a great opportunity to promote the school.

“It was a lot of fun representing Gate City and getting our school's name out there in the community.”