Mary Etta Copeland led generations of choirs to numerous achievements. Copeland retired after the 2015-2016 school year.

Last year, Mrs. Copeland retired after directing the De Soto High School choir for 48 years. She was an inspiration to many students at DHS.

“She inspired me to do more in the musical field,” sophomore Trace Harre said. “She made me come out of my shell a little bit more and do a solo at regionals.”

Copeland definitely left behind an impressive legacy and a big pair of shoes to fill.

Mindy Fry has taken over as De Soto’s new choir director. Many students are familiar with Fry because she was the choir teacher at Mill Creek Middle School for nine years.

     “It’s great to see faces again that I got to teach several years ago,” Fry said.

Teaching high school students is something Fry has always wanted to do, especially at a school like De Soto.

“I graduated from a school that was similar to De Soto,” Fry said. “I knew this was a very unique situation, so I’ve kind of been waiting for this job to open up.” 

Fry plans on continuing choir traditions such as going to Crown Center and performing holiday chorus with the band. Along with carrying on traditions, Fry hopes to add new fun things to build comradery in the choir.

Fry knows Copeland built a great choir foundation at De Soto and hopes to continue to build the program.

“I feel the pressure to continue a wonderful program,” Fry said. “Im hoping to pick up where she left off.”

Fry’s goal is to be successful as the De Soto High School choir director and to really connect with her students just as Copeland did.

“I hope to create a family atmosphere where students feel safe and they feel that they can be expressive,” Fry said.