Thirteen Hays CISD middle school band students qualified for the Region 18 Middle School Band several weeks ago, 11 of that number performing with the honor band at its recent concert at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center. Those performing with the band included (back, left to right) Dahlstrom’s Logan Pool, McKenna Murphy, Sabrina Guerra, Gracie Hough; (middle, left to right) Dahlstrom’s Chris Deleza, Barton’s Jennifer Herrington and Emily Loosier, Chapa’s Tenley Lehman; and (front, left to right) Wallace’s Tatum Batman, Madison Batman and Tony Reyes-Monroy. Others qualifying but not performing included Dahlstrom’s Austin Uresti and Wallace’s Angel Ramirez. (Photo by Jim Cullen)
by JIM CULLEN
The stars continued to shine for Hays CISD middle school band students as 13 standout musicians earned 2011 Region XVIII honors at Austin’s Covington Middle School recently. It was just a week earlier that 56 Hays students from four of its middle schools earned slots on the District Band, and a 24-member group of those qualified high enough to audition for Region.
Each of the four local campuses represented at the regional competition placed at least one of its musicians on the Region Symphonic or Concert Band, 11 of them eventually performing at the HCISD-hosted Region XVIII clinic and concert prior to the holidays at the Performing Arts Center.
As for the individual schools, Dahlstrom Middle School had six of its eight auditioning students make Region, four out of five Wallace Middle School students scored a chair, Barton Middle School took two Region chairs, and Chapa Middle School grabbed another Region slot.
The local musicians scoring chairs included Chapa’s Tenley Lehman as Concert Band first chair horn and Barton’s Jennifer Herrington on clarinet and Emily Loosier on flute. Wallace placed twin sisters Madison Batman and Tatum Batman on the Symphonic Band as 7th chair horn and 6th chair trumpet, respectively, and Angel Ramirez and Tony Reyes-Monroy on the Concert Band as 5th chair flute and 9th chair trumpet, respectively. At Dahlstrom, the Region Band honorees included Sabrina Guerra on flute, McKenna Murphy on bassoon, Gracie Hough on trumpet, Austin Uresti on trombone, Logan Pool on euphonium and Chris Deleza on tuba.
Reactions from directors Leroy Gerdes, James Malik, Bennie Sayger and Eddie Briskey were predictably glowing. Director Sharran Lusby said they “are excited that these students have achieved this highest of honors.” James Malik noted his Wallace Rangers for “the hard work and dedication each put forth to better themselves as musicians, model students and mature young adults.” Barton’s Sayger concluded, “What a great group of students. I’m proud of them all and I look forward to their continued growth in the program.”
