If you watch Chandler senior Bethany Descher now, you wouldn’t expect that her foray into the arts started in eighth grade.
Whether she’s delivering a powerful monologue on stage, singing in choir, painting or leaving it all on the field during a marching band performance, she’s every bit a well-rounded artist. And one that performs with such ease, it has to come from years and years of experience, right?
“It wasn’t until I moved here at eighth grade that I realized how cool the arts are. The thing that got me into drama was, I watched our production of ‘The Addams Family’ and I was like, that needs to be me,” she said, a bright grin on her face.
Band came along because she needed an extracurricular, and it sounded fun, so she picked up the clarinet. Now it’s become her entire life, she said. Choir was because she liked singing, and art itself was because she always liked drawing, thought admitted that it’s more of a stress relief activity than anything.
For her, she loves the process of creating art. But it’s the end that she really enjoys.
“My favorite part is right after I'm done and I'm on stage, or like final bow or anything like that. Whenever I look into the crowd for the first time that night, I see all the different people that I've managed to bring together to come,” she said.
Bethany plans to remain firmly in the arts. She’s been accepted to Oklahoma State University, where she plans to study music education. The goal is to become a band director, though she hopes to also be involved in choir and drama. She said it’s because a lot of rural schools don’t have music or drama departments, but they do have band.
She also hopes to make her way back to Chandler.
“I didn't realize it was possible to do all this stuff, and I've never been in a school where they supported the arts so much,” she said. “Honestly, I don't really want to leave Chandler because it just has so many opportunities for the arts. It's just really unique because, especially in Oklahoma, there's not a lot of opportunities for all that, but in Chandler, it's everywhere.”
Descher has thrown herself into community involvement. She helped paint store windows for Christmas and joined the community choir for the annual treelighting ceremony. She is part of Lincoln County On-Stage, a local community theatre group.
It’s also members of the community who have helped inspire her journey. Descher spoke about the Radcliffes, whose two kids have been in band, choir and drama with her.
“They kind of support me, and they're all my things. If I'm stressed, they would help me,” she said, adding that she and Allison put together their auditions for the school musical together. “I'll send them a video of me sitting in my car… see if it sounds nice. So they really… inspired me almost to do all this stuff and show me that it's possible to do it all and still live life like a teenager.”
Amy Radcliffe called Bethany “an exceptionally talented senior,” adding that her “contributions to CHS are numerous and inspiring.
“She leads with positivity, joy, and energy, inspiring her peers and uplifting those around her,” she said. “She is a gifted performer, a natural leader, and above all, a young woman of character whose light makes Chandler High School and our community a better place.”
Theatre teacher Inda Jo Conway also sings Descher’s praises, saying she started with one line in a contest piece her freshman year and ended that year with a featured role in the musical. Though she hadn’t had much experience, her excitement was undeniable. What’s more, last year, Bethany decided to jump into the deep end and run for a state office in theatre. She got it.
However, it’s a moment from last year that stands out to Conway. It was a rehearsal of their contest show and the first time off-book. Bethany’s character was telling a story to the others.
“As Bethany spoke, I watched the others lean in - they were completely enthralled. She was invested emotionally and had them following her every word. I was so proud,” she said.
As the final semester of her senior year gets fully underway, there are many things Descher is looking forward to. She’s excited about the spring musical, “Shrek,” and choir, along with upcoming concerts in band. The seniors in drama are directing their own short plays, which she’s eager to do. It involves more teaching younger students than acting, as the seniors are limited to the roles they can take.
“It's really exciting getting to watch the younger drama kids step up, because my mine only has five people in it the entire time, and they all have monologues… and it's really exciting,” she said.
But of course, there’s the big dream. Descher is also in a garage band called Room Temperature.
“The dream is that our garage band gets really popular and I don't have to be a teacher, I can just go travel. That's my favorite part about music: being able to share with people,” she said. “So that's the dream. Probably not going to happen, which I'm okay with because I have another dream, which is being a band teacher.”