Imagine heading out to pick up your father\u2019s medicine at the neighborhood CVS one day, only to be stopped by four strangers who ask: \u201cCan I take a picture with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s was what happened to Kriston Bell, 17. When approached, the Beverly resident asked if they knew him from somewhere. Their response: \u201cFrom \u2018America\u2019s Got Talent.’\u201d\u00a0 The admirers took pictures to share with their kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just walking into Chick-fil-A, next thing I hear is someone say, \u2018Ain\u2019t that the people from \u2018America\u2019s Got Talent?’\u201d said Dolton resident Stephen Jackson, 17.<\/p>\n
This is the new normal for members of Leo High School\u2019s choir after their performance on the 20th season of NBC\u2019s reality talent show aired June 10 \u2014 now that the melodic prowess of the 22 young men from the South Side Catholic school for boys has gone global.<\/p>\n
And while its choir has stepped to the forefront as of late, Leo High School has been known as a place where young Black and brown men are nurtured to succeed. And they do \u2014 from sports to academics .<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I have been at Leo, more than 90% of our graduates have gone on to college.\u201d said Leo President Dan McGrath.<\/p>\n
On \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d the choir wowed all four judges and the audience with a resounding rendition of The Score\u2019s \u201cBorn for This.\u201d The team heads back to California in August to participate in the talent competition\u2019s quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
Choir members were rehearsing for hours at the school every Thursday in July. If they advance after this round, the group will be closer to winning the $1 million grand prize.<\/p>\n
The choir had a certain amount of notoriety locally prior to \u201cAGT\u201d\u00a0\u2014 from taking the stage at the Democratic National Convention last summer, to performing at Millennium Park\u2019s Holiday Sing-Along this past December, to singing for the city of Chicago during Black History Month \u2014 but the \u201cAGT\u201d platform is its biggest yet. The young men caught the attention of the show\u2019s scouts when an Instagram video of their singing was posted by CBS Chicago in early 2024. The rest is history. By June of this year, the choir was performing at the Archdiocese of Chicago\u2019s celebration of Pope Leo XIV at Rate Field and at a Juneteenth event at Wrigley Field.<\/p>\n
\u201cNational reality TV shows, multiple different news networks, sports games, I think I\u2019ve ticked off the whole bucket list,\u201d Jackson said about his involvement with the choir.<\/p>\n
Some Leo choir members juggle rehearsals with summer jobs. From restaurants like iHop (Jackson says his manager is \u201cvery forgiving\u201d with his choir commitments and scheduling) to retailers like Menards and Stein Learning Gardens at St. Sabina the young men are working hard on their futures \u2014 futures that gel well with not just the choir\u2019s success, but also with Leo\u2019s philosophy of working hard for success, according to choir director LaDonna Hill.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people are average \u2026 getting up every day trying to figure it out, willing to try and not quit. Those are the things I like to build on. That\u2019s why I\u2019m so proud of these 22 guys,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Having performed publicly at 60 events last year, the men committed themselves to the work. \u201cTo have these young men show up, be committed, not afraid to try something new, and legitimately give themselves to it 100% \u2014 it\u2019s inspiring,\u201d Hill said.<\/p>\n
![\"Leo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-leo-high-school-choir-agt008.jpg\")
Leo High School choir members practice at the school with LaDonna Hill, the choir director, on July 10, 2025. (Audrey Richardson\/Chicago Tribune)
\n![\"LaDonna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-leo-high-school-choir-agt013.jpg\")
LaDonna Hill, the choir director, leads the Leo High School choir during a practice at the school on July 10, 2025, in Chicago. The group is going to Los Angeles in Aug. for the semifinals of “America’s Got Talent.” (Audrey Richardson\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Leo Principal Shaka Rawls is not surprised the choir is getting the recognition it is. A Leo alumnus, Rawls has led the school since 2016 and said \u201cit was only a matter of time\u201d the national spotlight found the choir, given the hard work that goes into supporting Leo students\u2019 mental health, educational growth and service to the community. All are part of Leo\u2019s mission of making good people and stewards of the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make the next generation of men better than the last generation \u2014 particularly Black and brown men,\u201d Rawls said.<\/p>\n
Parents credit the choir\u2019s momentum to the synergy between Yolanda Sandifer-Horton, Leo High School\u2019s choir manager and coordinator of student engagement, and Hill. According to Hill, many members of the choir did not know how to sing or did not possess any musical background before they became part of the team. Hill \u2014 who is retiring from Leo after 25 years to pursue ministry \u2014 looks back at helping the choir grow through a lens of creativity, patience, hard work and fun.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe push them to do their best, but at the same time, we try to know what\u2019s going on in their lives, so we can talk them through things. We want them to feel safe, respected, and looked after,\u201d McGrath said.<\/p>\n
McGrath considers the choir members ambassadors for the institution, which will celebrate 100 years in 2026. A 1968 graduate of Leo, McGrath has seen firsthand the neighborhood\u2019s demographics change from predominantly white to Black and brown, with businesses and churches abandoning Auburn Gresham in the process. The school\u2019s current demographics are roughly 97% African American and 3% Hispanic, according to McGrath.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the 2024-25 school year we had students from 21 zip codes\u2013the majority are from South Side neighborhoods like Chatham, Bronzeville, Woodlawn, Englewood, Ashburn, Brainerd, Washington Heights and Roseland. We also draw from the West Side, and do well in the close-in south suburbs such as South Holland, Dolton, Hazel Crest, Homewood, Country Club Hills and Midlothian,\u201d McGrath said. Leo has stayed the course in the South Side community with their motto: \u201cDeeds not words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOftentimes, we say teachers inspire students \u2026 but they\u2019ve inspired me,\u201d Hill said. \u201cI teach them four golden rules: discipline, dedication, being responsible and being a team player. I build on that. You get to the end of the process \u2014 the results \u2014 and you can feel good about whatever the outcome is because you did your best.\u201d<\/p>\n
While current Leo Lions are making plans for the \u201cAGT\u201d prize money (college funds feature prominently) Sandifer-Horton said she would like the limelight to offer more exposure for the colleges recent Leo graduates attend. Nine choir members graduated last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s bringing exposure not only to Leo, but to nine other colleges and universities,\u201d she said. \u201cMany people who don\u2019t win, get so much exposure and opportunities; a lot of people come out winners in other ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Members](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-l-CUBS-BREWERS-061925-12.jpg\")
Members of the Leo High School choir perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before the Cubs host the Brewers in a game at Wrigley Field on June 19, 2025. (John J. Kim\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
For twins Steven and Stephen Jackson, 17, their Leo choir experience has helped them with their public speaking skills and confidence. Bell is looking to use his voice more when working on his own melodic hip-hop music. Rios is looking forward to joining Clark Atlanta University\u2019s choir when he attends in the fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo\u2019s choir has done what most professional musicians are still trying to do,\u201d Rios said, looking back at the group\u2019s trajectory. \u201cWe definitely did the best we could as far as us being teenagers.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Leo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CTC-L-americas-got-talent-leo-choir-01.jpg\")
The Leo High School choir on “America’s Got Talent.” (Trae Patton\/NBC)<\/p>\n
After their first appearance on the show, an anonymous donor gave each choir member $5,000 to be used for their educational pursuits after high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are very humble,\u201d said Chatham resident Latonya Smith, parent to 17-year-old choir member Xavier Smith. \u201cThese are some really gifted, locked-in young men, but I don\u2019t think they know the impact of being on national TV; for my son, the reality hasn\u2019t hit him yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sondrae Lewis is looking forward to accompanying her 16-year-old Michael Lewis to California in August for a two-week stay. The Lewis family relocated six months ago from Auburn Gresham, where Leo High School sits, to Griffith, Indiana. Lewis, a rising senior and first tenor, is adamant about graduating from Leo and plans to travel to school at 6:30 a.m. to attend hour-and-a-half choir rehearsals before classes begin, five days a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve all been so excited that our boys are being exposed to things they wouldn\u2019t be able to if they weren\u2019t a part of the choir,\u201d Sondrae Lewis said. \u201cWith the choir, they\u2019re covering ground on what they\u2019re exposed to, who they\u2019re being exposed to. \u2026 These young men haven\u2019t been in those kinds of environments, places or travels, and they have been picking up momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Members](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ctc-l-young-voters-mobil-75.jpg\")
Members of the Leo High School choir stand on stage before performing at UniverSoul Circus in Washington Park in Chicago on Oct. 2, 2024. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Now that the school choir is in high demand, McGrath said parents are coming into the school saying they\u2019d like to see their son get into the choir.<\/p>\n
The search for the next choir director has already begun. But whoever takes up the mantle will have to have a family mindset, Hill said. She considers her arrival at Leo divine. It all started with a phone call from a friend after the loss of her child. She lost one soul to connect with many others.<\/p>\n
\u201cI gained all of these amazing young men \u2014 that\u2019s why I describe it as divine. Look at how far they\u2019ve come. I just pray that whoever comes will be fascinated with that process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2019AGT\u2019 is great and I hope we win the whole thing, but my goal is the Vatican in March,\u201d Rawls said. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason why the Leo High School choir, with its newfound fame, should not perform for Pope Leo. That just makes sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally Published: July 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Imagine heading out to pick up your father\u2019s medicine at the neighborhood CVS one day, only to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42787,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[16488,34343,526,88,5629,2558,3,92],"class_list":["post-42786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-cook-county","tag-daily-southtown","tag-education","tag-entertainment","tag-illinois","tag-latest-headlines","tag-news","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}