Amy Johnson Symes, a 2000 graduate of Storm Lake High School, had the distinct honor of bringing her chorus of Las Vegas middle school students to the stage to perform with Tim McGraw at last night’s (Sunday) Academy of Country Music Awards. Work for the awards-show, which was recorded at 5 p.m. in Las Vegas, began days earlier for the students with choreographers on the “Humble and Kind” performance. This was done for a couple of days, then on Sunday, they arrived at the MGM Theater at around 11 a.m. to do an entire rehearsal before the taping. Symes’ students are from a school for performing arts in Las Vegas, and have previously performed with other artists, most recently having sang with a national tour group who was featured at a Las Vegas performing arts center. This, however, Symes says is a huge thing for the students. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” she said, “but what an opportunity, especially for a middle school kid.”
