Final Weekend for the DCHS Band was Grand

The DCHS Band had a fun and rewarding final weekend for their regular marching season. On Friday, members were encouraged to be creative in coming up with their best costume. Band Director Jonathan Wright said, “It has become a tradition for the band to get dressed up on the Friday that falls around Halloween.” One fan of the Fighting Tiger Marching Band told staff members, “My daughter looks forward to the band’s Halloween performance every year.” They marched their regular show; however, the “uniform” was a little different. Mr. Wright says, “They get really creative when it comes to finding a costume.” On the field were the likes of Thing #1 and Thing #2, Larry the Cable Guy, Lady Gaga, Cleopatra, gangsters, tooth fairies, and a whole host of different characters.
Saturday, October 29th was the final competition performance for the DCHS Fighting Tiger Band in Alcoa, Tennessee. They met at the high school and loaded the buses at 7AM. The road trip to Alcoa was around two hours. Performance time was 1:45 eastern time.
The DCHS Fighting Tiger Band represented DeKalb County very well. After a very successful run of the program, Mr. Wright and Assistant Director Joey Wilburn told the students that they should be proud of themselves. They went on to point out the seniors of the band, Renny Mason, Megan Cantrell, Brianna Vidal, and Heather Vidal, had just marched their last competition show. Mr. Wilburn said, “We are very proud of our seniors.”
Mr. Wright said, “It has been another very successful year for the Marching Band. There was some concern that since we had nine seniors graduate last year that the quality of our performance would take a hit. Though we have a young group this year (only four seniors and eight 7th and 8th graders), this has been the hardest working group of students I have had the pleasure to work with. Because of their dedication, we won awards at all of the contests we attended and placed first in our class at two of them.”
During the awards ceremony, it was announced that DCHS Field Commander Hannah Cantrell would be bringing home the 2nd place trophy for class “A.” The Percussion section not only scored higher than any other percussion section in their class, guaranteeing the 1st place trophy, but also scored higher than any other percussion section in the Small Division (Class A and Class AA combined), which made them the “Grand Champion” of the Small Division. “Another highlight this year is our strong percussion section. They won 1st place percussion in their class at every contest we attended and placed first in their division at Alcoa, beating out groups twice their size.” Mr. Wright continued, “This would not be possible without help. I would like to thank my Assistant Band Director Joey Wilburn, staff members Jonathan Turner and Matthew Bimstein, and all of the Band Boosters who support and take care of the students.”
Mr. Wilburn says, “We’re extremely glad to show the community the program is continuing to grow and improve every year and it would not be possible without supportive parents and school board members. The MANY awards received this year is a testimony to how hard the students work.”
The full list of awards this year include:
· Hendersonville Golden Invitational: 1st Place Band, 1st Place Color Guard, 1st Place Hornline, and 1st Place Percussion.
·Blue Devil Invitational: 1st Place Color Guard, 1st Place Percussion, and Superior Percussion.
·Middle Tennessee Small Band Championship: 1st Place Band, 1st Place Percussion, and 2nd Place Field Commander.
·Alcoa Marching Invitational: 1st Place Percussion in division, 1st Place Percussion in class, 2nd Place Field Commander, Superior Color Guard, Field Commander, and Percussion.
The Band and Boosters would like to congratulate the DCHS Tiger Football Team for their success this season. Although the band has completed their marching season for this year, they will continue practicing for the performance at the football team’s playoff games during halftime. Students will also begin preparations for performances at the annual Christmas concert and parades.
To learn more about the DCHS Fighting Tiger Band and their upcoming performance schedule, log onto www.DekalbBand.com or “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DekalbBand .