Varsity letter awards and letterman jackets have been a tradition in American high schools since at least the late 1800s, and at Tyrone High School, they have been a tradition since at least the 1930s.
Currently, members of Tyrone’s 13 varsity sports teams and the TAHS Band are eligible to earn varsity letters.
Each varsity sport has its own criteria for awarding letters based on playing time and/or performance in games, matches, or meets.
Members of the band can earn a varsity letter for district band, indoor percussion, and performing in marching band competitions.
However, two other groups of hardworking and talented students are notably excluded. Their hard work and contributions to the school community also deserve the same recognition.
Like the athletes and marching band members, students in the Tyrone Show Choir (POPS) and the Drama Club practice countless hours and compete against other schools for awards and recognition.
Students in choir compete in the District, Regional, State, and All-Eastern Chorus. These students rehearse just as many hours, perhaps more, than athletes, for the opportunity to earn the top chair and move on to the next level of competition.
For example, Tyrone Class of 2024 graduate Jake Isenberg made it to regionals last year for chorus but earned only a ribbon for his talent and effort.
Junior Braylinne Shaw earned the third chair at Pre-Auditions to qualify for Districts this year, but will not receive a varsity letter for her efforts.
Similarly, members of the Drama Club put hundreds of hours into rehearsals and choreography to prepare for the annual spring musical.
Actors in several TAHS musicals have earned awards at the annual Issac Awards for Musical Theatre sponsored by the Altoona Community Theatre.
Students in POPS Extension are in the chorus room every morning working on their songs, whether for a District competition, their next concert, or a County Chorus Festival.
Isenberg, Shaw, and dozens of students like them deserve varsity letters just like their hard-working peers in sports and band but currently do not have the opportunity to earn one.
If members of the athletic teams and bands have the opportunity to earn letters, so should the students in POPS Extension and the theatrical arts.
