Every year the Dartmouth Middle School chorus class heads to the Great East Music Festival to perform among dozens of other choirs, and this year on June 6 they had a gold-winning performance.

Performing three songs, the group is evaluated and then the festival officials work with the students, said Tara Thomas, the middle school chorus teacher.

Thomas said she’s been teaching for over 20 years, but two decades of it have been at Dartmouth Middle School since she took over for her own former teacher, Diane Berube, when she retired.

At the spring concert, she dedicated “As Long as I Have Music” to her former teacher and it was one of the songs performed at the festival, and following their win, the group headed to Canobie Lake Park for a fun-filled day.

“They're pretty amazing,” Thomas said of her students. “I also love watching them in the community.”

One of the students on the trip was Ben Pogash, 13, who joined chorus for a second year this year. 

He said he enjoyed his time performing at the festival, adding how his favorite ride was the one with swings that went all the way up in the air and spun in a circle.

His mother, Megan Pogash, highlighted how, “It was a lot of fun for them to walk around and have that independence.”

Thomas said, “It's really just very fulfilling and I'm hoping that my voice will hold up for another 10 to 15 years.