Woodlands Academy launches national music honor society chapter
The 2025 Christmas Concert at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart ended on a surprise high note. Immediately following the program’s conclusion, music teacher/choir director Claudia Vining informed those in attendance that the all-girls, college-preparatory high school in Lake Forest now has a Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter. She also announced that 12 juniors and seniors were inducted as charter members of the national organization based on their participation in music, academic achievement, leadership and other qualifying criteria.
“Woodlands Academy has established Tri-M to recognize students who are active in two or more music ensembles and classes or have shown exceptional leadership in their music groups,” Vining said. “They advance the spirit of good music and musical knowledge and enhance the reputation of our school as a center for musical enrichment.”
Tri-M, the only national honor society for student musicians, fosters a greater continued interest, appreciation and desire for excellence in musical performance. Vining said that membership should also promote wider opportunities for sharing joy through music both within the school and in its surrounding community.
The charter members of Woodlands Academy’s Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter are: juniors Cat Dotson, Lulu Henderson, Madeleine Lillis, Kate Marlowe, Emanay Piracha, Alli Rodriguez and Lara Scheiner; and seniors Maggie Glunz, Annabelle Hayes, Kendall McCleary, Janicel Otero and Emmy Seliga.
According to its website, Tri-M Music Honor Society, a program of the National Association for Music Education, focuses on creating future leaders in music education and music advocacy by recognizing students who have gone above and beyond both academically and musically. It also provides students with leadership opportunities to make a difference in their community through music-based service projects. Each year, Tri-M members contribute more than 750,000 service hours to their school and local communities and raise nearly $1 million for causes they care about.
Since 1985, Tri-M has awarded more than $140,000 in Chapter of the Year Scholarship Awards to chapters across the country that make a difference in their communities.
Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic, independent, day-and-boarding, college-preparatory school for young women of all faiths in ninth nine through 12th grade. Founded in Chicago in 1858 and located in Lake Forest since 1904, Woodlands is part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries on six continents. To learn more, visit woodlandsacademy.org.