Hammond’s National Anthem Debut

LCHS Sophomore student Stephanie Hammond was recently given the opportunity to sing the national anthem at a Peoria Rivermen hockey game and at the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament in Champaign.

LCHS assistant principal and athletic director, Mr. Brian Clausen and the Rivermen staff handled the details of the Rivermen event. Hammond had roughly 2 weeks to prepare for the performance after finding out about it. On the day of her performance, she had to be in the arena an hour and 15 minutes early. When asked about the overall experience she explained,  “It was amazing. The staff members I interacted with were all super nice and made me feel comfortable before my performance.” Stephanie replied. 

Besides the Riverman game, Stephanie has previously sung the National Anthem at 2 Peoria Chiefs games, all home JFL 14u games, and was recently selected to sing the anthem at the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament in Champaign that was last month. 

Stephanie has been involved in choir/music classes and activities since she was just 6 years old. She loves taking these opportunities and will continue to take any other ones that come her way. “I enjoy representing my school while doing something I love, like singing and performing.” she said.