Divine

Whether you’ve seen them perform a mashup at the Pops Concert or perhaps singing the National Anthem at a game, Stoughton High School’s treble a cappella group, Divine, has been an integral part of the music department for several years.
This year, senior leaders Ella Loup and Alley Parks are dedicated to upholding this SHS tradition. Both have been avid choir members throughout their high school years and beyond, with a predating passion for music.
“I definitely wasn’t aware of a cappella [at first], even right up until when I was in it. I was like, oh, it’s singing, but there’s no instruments. I didn’t really understand what it was even until I was in it. But I’ve always been a big singer. When you look back on videos of me as a little kid, I was always singing,” Loup said. “I was looking for something that was a little bit more engaging. I’m also super into Glee. I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s gonna be just like Glee.’”
Parks shared a similar story.
“I started singing in church, and I just kind of fostered a love of music there, and I joined choir right when it became an option in sixth grade and stuck with it most of the way. I first heard of a cappella through Pitch Perfect,” Parks said.
Unlike the rest of the SHS music department, Divine (and Dive In, its lower-voiced counterpart) performs without the accompaniment of any musical instruments. To achieve this, the 12 members work together to replicate the parts traditionally created by instruments. This year, members include Ella Loup, Alley Parks, Mikayla Becker, Emma Twedt, Molly Gracyalny, Madeline Olsen, Axle Graffin, Lilli Procter, Autumn Bonti, Nora Knoploh, March Feiteira, and Tobie Bluel.
According to Loup and Parks, the Divine process is very collaborative, with the whole group working together to create the final product. This includes, but is not limited to, song choices, choreography, and deciding soloists.
“For the most part, everybody’s been on the same page,” Loup said. “[Alley and I] kind of come in with an idea, and then people sprout off of that idea. It’s very collaborative.”
“We’ve been kind of striking the balance [in leadership], seeing which decisions are more group-focused and which decisions are more relevant for us to be making as leaders,” Parks added.
The 2023-24 school year has been busy for Divine so far, with the club performing at several school events along with an upcoming performance at Summit, an Oregon-based event where several a cappella groups in the area come together and perform.
“I’m proud of us in that we’ve really committed to always making it work,” Loup said. “Whatever the challenges [we face] are, we figure out how we’re going to make it happen.”

Dive In

As you might already be able to tell based on their name, Dive In—Stoughton High School’s bass/tenor a cappella group—was created shortly after Divine, even basing their name on such. Although Dive In is a staple of the SHS music department, senior leader Brandon Vaage and other members are unsure how long it’s actually been going on.
“We realized that we actually had no idea how long Dive In has been going on for,” Vaage said, but estimates at least ten years based on a Google Drive passed down to club leaders. Along with a Google Drive, traditions and rituals have also been passed down.
“One of the main things—I don’t know when this started, I just know it’s been a thing for as long as I’ve been in [Dive In]—somebody brings honey because it’s good for the voice, like a container of honey. And everyone waterfalls it,” Vaage said.
Vaage joined Dive In his sophomore year of high school despite not being in choir at the time. He cites seeing Dive In perform as the catalyst for joining the group.
“My interest in singing kind of died in elementary school because we were forced to sing at Sandhill, and I did not enjoy it. But then seeing Dive In perform, it looked fun, so I kind of reignited that [interest],” Vaage said.
There is no prerequisite to join the group, just an audition and a passion for singing. Besides the honey, Dive In has other pre-performance rituals as well, according to Vaage.
“For the Pops concert, during intermission, we went to a practice room and ran the song, except […] instead of singing the lyrics […], it’s all in meows,” Vaage said. “That’s because it makes everyone laugh and brings really good energy to the group.”
Dive In fosters not only a musical environment but one of collaboration and creativity as well. Current members include Brandon Vaage, Miles Heritsch, Beatrix Johnson, Evan Pfanku-Stewart, Finn Forsythe, Kyle Gibson, Liam Weitner, Michael Anschutz, Soren Vienneau, Xavier Vogt, Colton Patterson, and Lily O’Hearn.
“[Dive In] is more like […] doing a song that you enjoy and that you get to choose and make yourself with your friends. That’s all different than being taught by a teacher,” Vaage said. “I think [people] should give [a cappella] a try. Just to try something new. At the very least, that’s what I did, and I ended up finding something that I liked doing. So if you think you’re musically inclined, you should try joining [Divine or Dive In].”