(Editor’s note: Bobcat Spotlight is a recurring feature spotlighting Marshalltown High School students who are involved in activities other than traditional sports.)
There’s always a song in Meredith Kodis’ heart.
The Marshalltown High School senior has been a dedicated member of several music groups at the school, always wanting to get the most out of her high school experience.
In addition to participating in choir, show choir and the orchestra, Kodis is also part of the National Anthem and Holiday singing groups, was most recently a star in MHS’ musical production of “Freaky Friday”, contributed to the Bobcat girls swimming team and is a member of National Honor Society and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The common theme is song, something Kodis says she always tries to find time for, whether it’s in the car, at school, or wherever she may be.
“I love the new relationships you get to build with all the people in musical and show choir,” Kodis said. “You also just get to see everyone grow, including yourself. It starts to feel like a family after a while and it makes it sad to leave.”
From the time she started in the choir in fifth grade, Kodis has said she hasn’t shied away from the spotlight.
In middle school, she was able to watch some performances of the high school show choir group, South Side Transit, which she said was an eye-opener.
“They were the coolest thing I had ever seen,” Kodis said. “I looked up to them like they were celebrities.”
She was so excited to join that she was even part of an upstart middle school show choir group in her eighth grade year.
Her freshman year was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time Vocal Music Director Amy Ose described as “when nothing was normal.”
But Ose noted that Kodis was determined to share her love of song.
“She was the one student who showed regularly to sing carols together in December, even when we couldn’t perform them anymore,” Ose said.
Kodis credits that year’s senior class with making sure that the torch she held for singing and performing kept burning bright as school life gradually returned to normal.
“They still put their all into it and made it worthwhile and helped to start my journey as a singer,” Kodis said.
Her confidence has grown in singing acapella and in front of large crowds as part of the National Anthem and Holiday groups. In recent musical theatre productions like “Once Upon a Mattress” and “Freaky Friday,” she found another way to appreciate music.
“It’s just downright fun,” Kodis said. “The practices, the performance, the people, they all make it the best it can be and it creates memories.”
Her favorite role was as Queen Aggravain in “Once Upon a Mattress” last year.
“The queen had such a big personality and it was so much fun to re-enact that for the crowd, and getting the laughs and reactions from the crowd was amazing,” Kodis said. “I can’t imagine myself without singing in choir or performing in the musical. It’s a part of me now and I will forever hold it in my heart.”
Kodis looks to study elementary education in college, while also looking at the potential of paying it forward and learning music education to continue to pursue her love of music.
While numbers have dwindled for South Side Transit in recent years, she’s also encouraged with the group of singers that the show choir has for this year.
And if any middle schooler is inspired by her performance in South Side Transit, or taking the stage in “Freaky Friday,” her advice is to invest in all the activities possible that high school has to offer.
“You only live through high school once,” Kodis said. “It’ll be gone before you know it, and try everything you want to try, because you will love it.”
The MHS band and choir will have a joint performance as part of a holiday concert at the MHS Auditorium on Monday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
Meredith Kodis
Extracurriculars: Choir, show choir, orchestra, National Honor Society, National Anthem Singers, Holiday Singers, Musical, Swimming, Big Brothers Big Sisters.
I can’t go a day without: Singing, no matter if I’m singing in the car or in school, I find a way.
My dream vacation: Greece
Currently, I am listening to: Christmas music.
My hobbies: Making cards for birthdays or events.
Favorite class: Math.
Favorite book: “Anomaly” by Krista McGee.
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Contact Jake Ryder at 641-753-6611 ext. 227 or jryder@timesrepublican.com.
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