For four years, Kaelin Hampe has dominated the music program here at DHS, while also keeping up her grades and positive attitude, effectively making her the perfect candidate for our next Senior Spotlight.
Kaelin is the pitchpipe and music director for Falconize, one of the a cappella groups here at Danvers High. She’s also a member of Vocal Alliance, the selective social-justice singing group of DHS, whom she also plays piano for.
During her time here, Kaelin has performed with DHS ACTS (Academy Theatre Society), scoring notable roles like Beth March in the school’s production of Little Women and Orpheus in the school’s recent production of Hadestown.
Along with performing for DHS ACTS, she also frequently joins the pit band and has been named the official Assistant Music Director for DHS ACTS. For the school’s production of Mean Girls, Kaelin played piano, which she will continue to do in DHS’ upcoming production of the musical Six, where she will also serve as Music Director for the pit band.
Additionally, Kaelin has been a member of the DHS jazz band all four years of high school, as well as playing with both the marching band and concert band freshman through junior year, serving as the marching band pit’s section leader her sophomore and junior year.
Kaelin is also an active member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, the National Honor Society and the National English Honor Society. She has the Diamond Level of Achievement and Excellence in the Arts at DHS, an award given to only the highest level students in the music program. Usually, only seniors receive this award; Kaelin was the first to receive it as a junior.
Kaelin has been accepted to the chorus ensembles of both MMEA (Massachusetts Music Educators Association) Districts and MMEA All-State all four years of her high school career, an extremely difficult feat to achieve. This year and last year, Kaelin even received the top score in MMEA All-State, receiving the highest score out of every choral participant throughout Massachusetts.
This year, Kaelin was also nominated, based on her impressive resume, to audition for an even more prestigious choral ensemble: the World Strides Honors Performance Series Mixed Chorus. She was accepted, and this past weekend she traveled to New York City and sang along with a choir of 150 other advanced chorus students at Carnegie Hall.
Along with her abundance of extracurriculars and advanced classes, Kaelin also teaches piano part-time at the Music Connection in downtown Danvers.
“Kaelin is genuinely the sweetest person I know,” said one of Kaelin’s good friends, Bella Drakos. “Her passion for the arts is so evident in everything she does.”
The Flying Onion also asked Kaelin’s chorus teacher, Mr. Grover, if he had anything to add.
“Kaelin Hampe is the heartbeat of the high school performing arts program. Her involvement in the vocal, instrumental, and theater programs over her four years at DHS has helped the program grow and she has been a model student.”
Kaelin will be attending Skidmore College in the fall. She plans to double major, in music and a second, undecided subject.
Kaelin puts her entire soul into everything that she decides to pursue, and we know that she will continue to do so throughout her time in college and the rest of her life. Good luck, Kaelin!
