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North Carolina High School Choir Shares Stage With Legendary Rock Band

Author Charlie & Debbie

Truth be told, I’m fired up to be going to see a Foreigner tribute band playing in Monroe tomorrow night. So, I can’t even imagine how cool it was for the Clayton High School Chorus to take the stage with the actual band, Foreigner, in Raleigh on Wednesday night. Alright, let’s be honest. It was way cooler for the parents of the Clayton High School Chorus members as Foreigner has not been relevant on the modern scene in the students’ lifetime.

How Did The Clayton High School Chorus Get This Opportunity?

Apparently, this has kind of become a thing with Foreigner. Not too dissimilar to Bruce Springsteen always bringing a girl onstage to dance with him every night when he plays “Dancing in the Dark” (see original video of the song if you’re unfamiliar with this tradition), Foreigner has been using local high school choirs for “I Want To Know What Love Is” for a while. The song is the band’s biggest hit and for the last 17 years, they’ve been utitlizing local high school talent. Lead singer, Kelly Hanson tells ABC 11, “One of the many reasons we have these beautiful, talented youth choir join us on stage is because there is a real lack of funding for school music programs. So please talk to local politicians, school organizations, your teachers, make a donation. And help keep these hopes and dreams alive.”

Wait, Foreigner PAID The Clayton High School Chorus?

Hanson and the band don’t just preach funding school music programs, they literally put their money where their mouth is. Each chorus they use (so, in this case, The Clayton High School Chorus) gets a $500 donation from Foreigner. On Wednesday night, 13 current and recently graduated members of the chorus took the stage. Oh, and this wasn’t their first gig with the band. The Clayton High School Chorus also shared the stage with Foreigner in 2017.

Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.

This North Carolina City Is The 4th Most Educated In The Country

Let’s talk about education. It’s a great way to increase your earning potential. The education level of an area is also an important factor when companies are deciding where to relocate. And the good news? One North Carolina city recently ranked as the 4th most educated in the country. With another coming in just a few spots behind. So what are the most educated North Carolina cities?

First, let’s take a look at the survey. It was conducted by our friends over at WalletHub. According to data shared with us by WalletHub, the median earnings of high school graduates are approximately 40% of what someone with a professional degree makes.

WalletHub’a report on 2024’s Most & Least Educated Cities in America, set out to determine where the most educated Americans are. To do so WalletHub compared the 150 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas across 11 key metrics. This includes adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher, the racial education gap, and the quality of the public school system among other factors.

Let’s face it- cities want to be filled with (and attract) highly educated workers. They are important to economic growth and ultimately tax revenues since higher levels of education often equate to higher salaries

Also educated citizens often want to live somewhere where they can maximize the return on their educational investment as well as be surrounded by others of a similar education level.

So where are the most educated North Carolina cities? Overall 8 cities were amongst this ranking. Keep reading to find out which ones and see where they ranked! Thanks to our friends at WalletHub for sharing their research with us. You can read the full Wallet Hub study here.

Most Educated North Carolina Cities

  • 8. Hickory

    Hickory NC sunset

    Ranking 8th amongst North Carolina cities and 144th overall is Hickory. Despite flying under the radar on this study many consider Hickory a beautiful and affordable place to live!

    Total Score: 26.91

    Educational Rank: 141

    Quality of Education & Attainment Rank: 140

  • 7. Winston Salem

    Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA Downtown Skyline.

    Ranking 113th overall is Winston-Salem. Which is home to Wake Forest University a prestigious private institution. So this ranking is a little surprising to me. I guess many graduates are not staying in the area post-grad!

    Total Score: 45.56

    Educational Rank: 119

    Quality of Education & Attainment Rank: 39

  • 6. Fayetteville

    Fayetteville North Carolina Downtown City Center Hay Street

    Yay Fayetteville! The city beat out two other NC cities and ranked 6th in the state and 106th overall. And that quality of education and attainment rank is in the top 10!

    Total Score: 47.95

    Educational Rank: 118

    Quality of Education & Attainment Rank: 9

  • 5. Greensboro

    Greensboro, North Carolina, USA downtown skyline.

    Greensboro marks the 4th NC city to rank in the 100s of this study. They came in at 101.  Don’t worry it goes up from here (way up!)

    Total Score: 48.90

    Educational Rank: 108

    Quality of Education & Attainment Rank: 35

  • 4. Charlotte

    Charlotte lands on the best cities to live in list

    Are you shocked the largest city in the state is only 4th in this study? Perhaps it’s due to the expansive population. Or more likely the plethora of nearby universities surrounding the top 2 cities. But ranking 45th overall and 4th in the state feels like Charlotte may be underachieving. 

    Total Score: 60.42

    Educational Rank: 56

    Quality of Education & Attainment Rank: 23

  • 3. Asheville

    Downtown Asheville North Carolina NC Skyline Aerial.

    In some ways, this shocks me. But then I remember how expensive it is to live in Asheville and it makes more sense!

    Total Score: 63.31

    Educational Rank: 35

    Quality of Education & Attainment Rank: 46

  • 2. Raleigh

    A colorful daytime cityscape of downtown Raleigh North Carolina

    And second in the state 9th overall is a city near and dear to my heart. And one home to my alma mater- Raleigh. So that does give me a sense of pride!

    Total Score: 79.56

    Educational Rank: 5

    Quality of Education & Attainment Rank: 30

  • 1. Durham

    Durham, North Carolina, USA downtown skyline.

    And the highest-ranking NC city and 4th in the country? Durham home to Duke University. 

    Total Score: 81.32

    Educational Rank: 8

    Quality of Education & Attainment Rank: 1

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