ARCHIVED NEWS BELOW
CELEBRATING THE 2017 SEASON
FROM SCOTT LANG just after finalist announcement
WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO! Tell the kids I said congrats, good luck and I knew it from when I saw them at the pre-lims performance! You must be stoked!
FROM SUPERINTENDENT DR. KIRT HARTZLER just after finals performance
Congrats on a GREAT FINALS performance. You all were beyond amazing! So proud of students and staff. This was a record performance and I trust judges will respond.
FROM MICHAEL FERCH of THE WENGER CORPORATION just after semifinals performance
WOW x5! I just caught your group’s performance during the semis at MFA. That was absolutely INCREDIBLE! What a show! First, congratulations! Second, hats off to you, your students and your staff on a job well done.
FROM R.R. ALUMNI ASSOCATION LEADER BRITTANY YOUNG
On behalf of the RR Alumni Association, congratulations on being a finalist at grand nationals. This is no small accomplishment. Though your peers outside of band may not fully appreciate or understand all that this represents, as Alumni, we do. You know that this program has a great tradition. It is highly regarded by those who have gone before you. The Alumni are so incredibly proud of you. You have carried on the legacy of excellence. I hope that you will one day join our Alumni efforts, but for now enjoy every minute where you are.
Many things have changed over the years, but some things will always be the same. I still remember that feeling, the one right before stepping onto the field for my Finals performance at Grand Nationals. And I remember that feeling when I left it all on the field. These experiences are priceless. The friendships you form here will last long after you graduate. Being in the Renegade Regiment is special. I saw so many alumni watching the Finals results live on Facebook. People who marched more than a decade ago, who likely do not know a single one of you personally, wanted to be a part of that moment. It means that much to us and that will never change.
We know you have put in so many hours of work and I hope that you are proud of yourselves too. You made sacrifices. You practiced before the sun rose and long after it set. Now, I hope you will have a little fun and enjoy cheering your football team to another State Championship.
Band Parents, we know this wouldn't happen without you. When your student makes a commitment to this organization, so do you. Thank you for all you do to support not only your own student, but all of the students. I had so many "moms" because of band and they are still in my life. The impact you have in their lives is significant and valuable. Our Alumni Association is not only for students, but Band Parent Alums as well. I hope to see you at our future events as well.
Congratulations to all of you!
Brittany L. Young
Class of 2001
FROM STUDENTS IN INDEPENDENCE, IOWA
Hello! This is a collaborative email from the band students of Independence, Iowa. We only have about 120 members in our marching band as we are a 3A school so you can imagine our amazement when we saw your show. In Independence, we did rather well in our competition season this year. We competed at several competitions taking first overall in most of them. A group of about 50 of us recently traveled from Northeastern Iowa to Indianapolis to watch the Bands of America championships. Although Union did not win I promise we all thoroughly enjoyed your performance and wanted your band to win! On the charter bus back to the hotel from the stadium we listened to the awards for the semifinals and all sighed when you did not receive anything. The energy the band had as well how into the show and committed every member was was very obvious. Your theme was excellent and your color guard costumes were on point....Overall, your band was amazing and everyone who watched was exhilarated by the performance. Immediately after you performed there was a break in which we went shopping at the expos. Well we were there we were still talking about your show and we were in shock. Thank you so much for inspiring us with your performance and I hope you continue your success in the future!
Makenzie Homan and the Independence Band members
FROM O.U. DIRECTOR OF CONCERT BANDS DR. MICHAEL HANCOCK
Dear Charles, Union Band Staff, and Students: congratulations on your continued successes this year! You all are doing a fantastic job performing music, and representing this state at such a high level. We are all very honored to have colleagues like you working in this state, and continuing to raise the bar of musical success on such a huge stage.
