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Even a stop sign at Northwest High School is all Gleeked out.

Spray-painted above and below the 'STOP’ are the words “Don’t” and “Believin’.”

Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” is the signature song of the hit Fox show “Glee,” whose second season debuted this week.

The show, which follows a group of misfits that make up the glee club at fictional McKinley High School, has people humming Queen’s “Somebody to Love” and Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” like they’re today’s hottest radio hits. It’s a phenomenon that has people talking nationwide, and its influence can be felt among Greensboro high school vocal ensembles.

Though they typically perform more traditional music, Northwest High School’s chorus is focusing its Annual Follies concert on songs from “Glee.” [Video]

“We’ve just been doing some really intense rehearsals for some other things we’re preparing for, so we kind of let our hair down a little bit to work with 'Glee,’ ” said Beverly Alt, Northwest’s choral music director.

In an upcoming trip to New York, Northwest’s choral ensembles will perform classical and religious music at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

But for the Follies, the Northwest chorus will sing “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Avril Lavigne’s “Keep Holding On,” the men’s mash-up of Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” and Usher’s “Confessions Part II” and the women’s mash-up of Beyonce’s “Halo” and Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine.”

Senior Danielle Wick is looking forward to the Follies’ departure from music the ensembles typically perform in favor of her favorite show.

“I was so excited,” Wick said. “I told Ms. Alt it’s the best idea she’s ever had.”

“Glee” has also made its way to Grimsley High School.

The Madrigal Singers, Grimsley’s oldest vocal ensemble, also are working on a version of “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

“I think ('Glee’) has definitely exposed choir as something fun and something interesting,” said Kate McMullen, a senior in the Madrigals.

Though “Glee” has heightened the popularity of high school choral groups, in the TV show, glee club members are decidedly not cool, enduring ridicule from cheerleaders and daily slushie dousings from the jocks. Spanish teacher Will Schuester (played by Matthew Morrison) is determined to transform the kids from insecure underdogs to confident superstars as they perform pop and Broadway hits.

Though her students may not endure a daily slushie to the face, Alt has found the show to be a fairly accurate depiction of high school vocal ensembles and the social situations they encounter.

“I think it makes chorus a little bit more real for kids,” Alt said. “It makes it kind of cool, although the show focuses on kids that are not the most popular kids. But I think it shows the true kids who are in chorus and some things that happen to them because it really does happen to them in real life.”

Alt has taught at Northwest for 15 years. She teaches five choirs, including a co-ed honors ensemble.

“We have a really good group,” said Eric Langer, a senior in the honors ensemble. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s kind of like a big family.”

While the “Glee” kids are winning Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards, the efforts of Greensboro vocal ensembles aren’t going unnoticed. The Northwest chorus recently won three superiors, the highest rating possible, at the North Carolina Large Ensemble Choral Festival. Grimsley’s Madrigals won a second-place prize at the Heritage Festival in New York.

Grimsley has six vocal ensembles, including the Madrigals, which has been a Grimsley tradition for more than 40 years.

“It’s such a well-respected and admired institution in the community,” said Marshall Johnson, Grimsley’s vocal music director. “People are constantly calling us to ask for performances. If we answered the call for everyone who wanted us to come sing someplace, we wouldn’t be in school.”

The Madrigals usually sing a cappella music that is more traditional or classical. They typically do one pop song a year. The Beatles’ “Blackbird” was last year’s selection.

Johnson has a background in show choir just like “Glee” depicts, so he said the show is a nostalgic experience for him that he wanted to share with his students.

When they aren’t singing modern songs, the Madrigals traditionally wear Renaissance costumes that the students make themselves. This tradition has been around almost as long as the group itself.

“I’ve really loved Madrigals,” said Austin Jeffries, a Grimsley senior who has participated in the Madrigals for all four years of high school. “It’s been the defining class of my high school experience. I’ve really come a long way from just taking this as an elective to now wanting to pursue this in college.”

The Northwest students share a similar passion for their own vocal ensembles.

“It’s something I really enjoy, and it’s a way to escape from the everyday school work,” Northwest senior Ian Kelleher said. “It lets you relax.”

Johnson appreciates “Glee” because it’s getting kids excited about music, and he sees any opportunity to talk to kids about music as a good one.

“('Glee’) shows a relevance to music in the curriculum in schools,” Johnson said. “If you can find a way to make any subject relevant to a kid, then you’ve accomplished something.”

Contact Alexa Milan at 373-7120 or alexandra.milan@news-record.com