By Heidi Davey
As a young girl, Monique “Mo” Kelly loved performing and singing. Now as a Junior in high school, she continues to pursue her love for the arts. She claimed that you can always find her singing a tune, or humming along to a song. She pursues her musical interests through singing in choir with Mr. Buchan, playing her ukulele, photography, and other musical-related arts. Ever since Mo came to Collingwood in Grade 8 from a French immersion elementary school in West Vancouver, she has made a lasting impression on the CW arts community. She is one of Collingwood’s most outstanding performers and her talent does not go unrecognized.
Despite the fact that none of her family members pursued artistic passions except for her “Poh Poh,” who studied the violin, Mo has had a budding passion for the arts her whole life. More specifically, she loves music and performing. Broadway show tunes have always held a special place in Mo’s heart as she considers herself quite the theatre kid, with one of her favourite artists to listen to being Ben Platt, an incredibly talented Broadway performer. She also enjoys music from multiple different genres consisting of Yacht rock, alternative, and classic genres, with some of her favourite artists being Rex Orange County, Frank Sinatra, Harry Styles, and Dodie. Although she does not have a clear inspiration, she has found that Dodie and Lin-Manuel Miranda are two of the biggest inspirations to her. Mo admires Dodie’s openness in her music videos and interviews, as well as the way she addresses so much in her music. She also believes that the way Lin-Manuel Miranda illustrates and connects stories and music is incredible and she would love to get the opportunity to ask him about his process of creating his many masterpieces, including Broadway’s Hamilton. Other inspirations come from all around her on a day-to-day basis with her biggest peer inspirations being Charlotte Anderson and Mr. Buchan.
In addition to the arts, Mo is an active member of several sports teams and clubs including basketball and field hockey, as well as her ultimate favourite sport: netball. Monique has been playing netball for 4 years now and has received many amazing opportunities such as playing for the provincial and national teams, as well as travelling to places close to home such as Alberta. Playing netball has also provided her with new experiences; Mo travelled with her team to Argentina which was truly an unforgettable experience. Other hobbies that Mo is currently pursuing include photography which she is learning about in Photo and Design 2.
As a young girl, Monique “Mo” Kelly loved performing and singing. Now as a Junior in high school, she continues to pursue her love for the arts. She claimed that you can always find her singing a tune, or humming along to a song. She pursues her musical interests through singing in choir with Mr. Buchan, playing her ukulele, photography, and other musical-related arts. Ever since Mo came to Collingwood in Grade 8 from a French immersion elementary school in West Vancouver, she has made a lasting impression on the CW arts community. She is one of Collingwood’s most outstanding performers and her talent does not go unrecognized.
Despite the fact that none of her family members pursued artistic passions except for her “Poh Poh,” who studied the violin, Mo has had a budding passion for the arts her whole life. More specifically, she loves music and performing. Broadway show tunes have always held a special place in Mo’s heart as she considers herself quite the theatre kid, with one of her favourite artists to listen to being Ben Platt, an incredibly talented Broadway performer. She also enjoys music from multiple different genres consisting of Yacht rock, alternative, and classic genres, with some of her favourite artists being Rex Orange County, Frank Sinatra, Harry Styles, and Dodie. Although she does not have a clear inspiration, she has found that Dodie and Lin-Manuel Miranda are two of the biggest inspirations to her. Mo admires Dodie’s openness in her music videos and interviews, as well as the way she addresses so much in her music. She also believes that the way Lin-Manuel Miranda illustrates and connects stories and music is incredible and she would love to get the opportunity to ask him about his process of creating his many masterpieces, including Broadway’s Hamilton. Other inspirations come from all around her on a day-to-day basis with her biggest peer inspirations being Charlotte Anderson and Mr. Buchan.
In addition to the arts, Mo is an active member of several sports teams and clubs including basketball and field hockey, as well as her ultimate favourite sport: netball. Monique has been playing netball for 4 years now and has received many amazing opportunities such as playing for the provincial and national teams, as well as travelling to places close to home such as Alberta. Playing netball has also provided her with new experiences; Mo travelled with her team to Argentina which was truly an unforgettable experience. Other hobbies that Mo is currently pursuing include photography which she is learning about in Photo and Design 2.
Over her 4 years at Collingwood, Monique Kelly has accomplished so much and made many memories. Her favourite memories have come from Grade 9. She took part in choir class during her school schedule, as well as the Senior Chamber Choir and Intermediate Chamber Choir groups outside of the typical timetable. This year she performed her first solo song at the annual Jazz Cabaret where she sang “Broadway Here I Come” by Joe Iconis which she noted as a very memorable and amazing experience. “In April, the Senior Chamber Choir had a… Jazz workshop [day] at Cap U, which was so fun. It was truly a great time.” she reminisced. Other favorite memories include going to Seattle with the Collingwood choir in Grade 8.
“Choir has always been a great way to get to know people and work together. This was very useful as a new student, since many of my choir friends and I already had something in common to talk about besides classes.” Monique values the freedom of expression when performing. Singing and sharing her passion for the performing arts with others makes her happy and “very satisfied.” She loves how contagious and easy it is to spread happiness through music and loves when other people join in when she is singing in groups. As for the future, Mo will always have a special place for performing and music in her heart, however, pursuing a career in music is not something she sees herself doing. She hopes to continue singing with choirs and be a part of musical productions in her future.
“Choir has always been a great way to get to know people and work together. This was very useful as a new student, since many of my choir friends and I already had something in common to talk about besides classes.” Monique values the freedom of expression when performing. Singing and sharing her passion for the performing arts with others makes her happy and “very satisfied.” She loves how contagious and easy it is to spread happiness through music and loves when other people join in when she is singing in groups. As for the future, Mo will always have a special place for performing and music in her heart, however, pursuing a career in music is not something she sees herself doing. She hopes to continue singing with choirs and be a part of musical productions in her future.