From Sept. 8 to Oct. 9, students, faculty and staff of schools across the country submitted videos of students performing a cappella numbers for Macy’s All-School A Cappella Challenge. Three $25,000 prizes were awarded in total – one for the elementary through middle school level, one for the high school level, and one for the college level.
On Nov. 13, students from Orange Center Elementary School in Orlando were surprised at a school assembly with the news that they took home the prize for their rendition of “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5. To make sure the big news was kept a secret until everyone was gathered, the students were told the assembly was being held to honor the 90% Achievers Club.
The A Cappella Challenge was part of Macy’s back-to-school initiatives for the 2015-2016 school year. Pentatonix, a platinum selling and Grammy Award winning a cappella group, was an ambassador for the program and judged a portion of the evaluation process.