Under the stadium lights, surrounded by the colors of fall in late autumn, the four marching bands representing the South-Western City School District hit the turf to showcase their competition shows for the community.
Spectators of this annual showcase were welcomed by Superintendent Dr. Bill Wise and watched the presentation of colors from Westland High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC cadets while hearing the National Anthem played by the Grove City High Marching Band.
First up to perform was Franklin Heights High School Marching Band.
The 2022 Franklin Heights High School Golden Falcon Marching Band show is entitled “Dreamer”. The show includes the following selections: “Dreamer” by Supertramp, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics, “Silent Lucidity” by Queensryche (RIKE) and “Daydream Believer” by the Monkees.
- The Field Commanders are Montana Runser and Nathan Long
- The soloists are Sarah Carroll, trombone, Rhett Curry and Bobby Biehl, baritone duet, and Noah Mitchell, tenor sax.
- The Franklin Heights Golden Falcon Marching Band is under the direction of Mr. Mark Sturm.
- Robert Ragland is the Assistant Marching Band Director.
- Percussion is under the direction of Tyler Hall
- Color Guard is under the direction of Madison McCoy.
- Sam Hershey is the Finland Middle School Band Director.
- Percussion Arrangements are by Mark Reynolds.
- Drill Design is by Steve Hegemier
- Musical Arrangements were by Mark Fox
Following Franklin Heights in the performance order was the Grove City High School Marching Band.
The 2022 Grove City High School Marching Band show is entitled Callsign: Greyhound. The show includes the following selections:
“To Tame the Perilous Skies” – David Holsinger New Century Dawn – David Gillingham
“The Real Hero” – Alan Silvestri Star Sky – Thomas Bergersen
“12 Seconds to the Moon” – Robert W. Smith Flight of the Bumble-Bee – Rimsky Korsakov
The Field Commanders are Ben Adams, Caitlyn Bowers, Connor Chaffin and Xander Hageman.
The soloists are Natalie Tolliver, trumpet, Tommy McPommell, baritone, and Nathan Lucero, tenor saxophone
The Grove City High School Greyhound Marching Band is under the direction of Mr. Jason Graham.
- Walt Riesenberg and Hannah Laubscher are the Assistant Marching Band Directors.
- The Percussion is under the direction of Director Walt Riesenberg with assistants Blaine Klein and Trey Smith.
- The Color Guard is under the direction of Director Emily Faherty with assistants Lily Dimel and Emily Murphy. Guard choreography is designed by Emily Faherty.
- Drill Design is by Matt James and Music Design is by Jackson Riffle.
Next up, our community heard from the Westland High School Marching Band.
The 2022 Westland High School Marching Band show is entitled Song of the Sirens.
The Field Commanders are Alan Arreola and David Villarruel
Evening soloists were Zoey Thornburg and Zach Iles
The Westland High School Marching Band is under the direction of Katie Heitkamp.
- Kristen Seymour is the Assistant Marching Band Director.
- The Percussion is under the direction of Director Dan Meehan, Amelia Duplain, and Taylor Williams.
- The Color Guard is under the direction of Director Lauryn Floring, Sara Kusnerak, Jaret Cingel, and Stephanie McCague.
- Drill Design is by Tyler Lindemier and Music Design is by Randall Standridge
- The Percussion Book is by Dan Meehan, Amelia Duplain and Taylor Williams and Guard Book is by Lauryn Floring, Sara Kusnerak, and Jaret Cingel.
The final band to perform at the 2022 Band Showcase was Central Crossing High School’s Marching Band.
The 2022 Central Crossing High School Comet Marching Band show is entitled Oceans Apart. The show includes the following selections: “Nuages” by Clause Debussy, “La Mer” by Claude Debussy, “Message in a Bottle” by The Police, “On the Waterfront” by Leonard Bernstein, and Original Music by Alex Yoder.
- The Field Commanders are Chloe Watkins and Elizabeth Carney
- The soloists are Rosalie Daniels on Flute and Mathew Wheeler on Trombone
- The Central Crossing Comet Marching Band is under the direction of Mr. Eric Hubbell
- Jeff Blume and Phillip Showalter are the Assistant Marching Band Directors.
- Percussion is under the direction of Donnie Ross.
- Color Guard is under the direction of Nikki Ross.
- Drill Design is by Thomas Sparling and Music Design is by Alex Yoder
- The Percussion Book is by Donnie Ross and Guard Book is by Brandon Smith.
To wrap up the evening’s event, all four bands marched on the field side-by-side and played each of their school’s fight songs. Then the bands each received a trophy representing the Board of Education’s recognition of their hard work and efforts of these amazing shows.
Upon conclusion of the trophy presentation, all four bands spent time mingling with each other and playing popular songs with a variety of members from different schools.
The district would like to thank everyone who participated in and worked on the making of this showcase to highlight our marching band programs. We look forward to another excellent showcase once again next October. Best of luck to our students and programs at 2022 OMEA State Competition!
Video Recap by community member Tom Katt
SW Insider 