Local High School Senior Might Sing Her Way to the Big-Time
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
LATEXO – One of the biggest advantages and joys of producing a local newspaper is being able to uncover some of the un-sung talents living amongst us. One of those un-sung talents needs to be sung, loudly, and it’s her singing which marks her out of the crowd – in Houston County – or parts beyond.
If you’ve never heard Latexo High School Senior Noelia Sheppard sing, you are missing a big piece of what makes our area unique. She sings from time to time at Cavalry Baptist Church in Crockett and elsewhere. Fully bilingual, she sang center-stage at last year’s Hispanic Heritage Festival, performing a moving and pitch-perfect performance of one of the most difficult songs for any singer – “The Star Spangled Banner.”
The Messenger sought and received special permission to get Sheppard out of class to get to know her a little better. A senior now, she grew up in Houston County, spent some time as a Grapeland Sandiette, before being home-schooled for a time, eventually spending the last two years in Latexo. She is quiet and kind, still trying to see what steps to take next in her life to achieve her goals. A lot of pressure placed on the shoulders of this talented, straight-A young student.
Sheppard has always loved music, singing, taking piano lessons – even participating in Piney Woods Fine Arts Association (PWFAA) talent shows. The soprano didn’t hesitate to talk about her favorite music to listen to and to sing – and it’s not the classical music or opera you may expect.
“Southern gospel music – it just has so much soul in it. You can really feel yourself in the music,” Sheppard said. “It’s not just the words, it’s the music, all the different harmonies and the resolving chords – it’s beautiful.”
After being bumped up a grade after her time being schooled at home, Sheppard is a year younger than her fellow seniors, forced to make some tough decisions at a young age.
Her passion for music is a driving factor in her life – and her dream is to study music in college, maybe someday to be a conductor. She is also fascinated by criminal justice, forensics and is lured by that, too.
While she is still lacking law-enforcement experience, The Messenger reached out, on her behalf, to Crockett Police Department, where one of the detectives agreed to help Sheppard learn the job and see what goes in to a real criminal investigation.
Sheppard may have to miss some of those training sessions, though.
“The Honors Performance Series sent me a letter and I submitted an application,” Sheppard revealed. “I have to send them some recordings, but I could potentially sing in Carnegie Hall or the Sydney Opera House in Australia.”
This quiet, unassuming local senior, just another one of the heroes who inhabit this area, waiting to take their place, celebrated by a wider audience.
As President Ronald Reagan once said, “Those who say we’re in a time when there are no heroes – they just don’t know where to look.”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
