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HHS BPA Monthly Meeting Minutes

Posted by Angela Davis at Aug 2, 2017 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

Huntsville High School

Band Parent Association Meeting

Thursday July 20, 2017, 7:00 p.m.

Huntsville High School Auditorium

 

The first meeting of the Huntsville High School Band Parent Association, for the 2017-2018 school year, was held on Thursday July 20, 2017 in the HHS auditorium. The meeting was called to order by Carolyn Drake at 7:00 p.m.

 

 

Carolyn Drake, President

 

Carolyn welcomed everyone to the meeting and then introduced Mr. Tankesley.

 

Mr. Tankesley, Band Director

 

Mr. Tankesley welcomed parents and let them know we need their help to make this organization great. We have a place where talents can be used, whether it is hosting, driving band truck, working concessions or VBC. We have about 160 kids that are working hard at band camp. He shared that WAAY TV, Channel 31 came by and did a segment on the heat and how our kids were handling it.

 

He introduced the contract band staff, Hannah Brower, Color Guard coach and Darryl Ailor, Percussion Instruction. He requested everyone make sure they are receiving our emails and text messages and to also check out our Facebook page and Twitter account. He stated that we have the lowest band fees in the area and would like to keep it this way. We can only keep fees low by participating in fundraisers. Please feel free to email him if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Carolyn Drake, President

 

Carolyn reiterated that we need volunteers to make this organization great and keep it working for our kids. She also asked that each family volunteer at least three times during marching season. She then introduced the board and committee chairs:

Jeff McCluskey – 1st Vice President (Chaperones)

Jennifer Applebaum and Louise Stuzenberg – Co 2nd Vice Presidents (Fundraising)

Susan Boothe - Treasurer

Angela Davis - Secretary

Roxanne Carroll and Machelle Fletcher –Co-Chairs, Concessions & Brick Pavers Committee

Sandra Moore – Credit keeper

Brian Ragan – Equipment Director

Gena Black – Hospitality Committee Chair

Ben Boles – Media Coordinator

Karen Parker – Trips Coordinator

Liz Boykin – Uniform Committee Chair

Elizabeth Butz – Color Guard Liaison

Mary D’Arienzo – VBC Liaison

 

After introductions were made Carolyn moved on to talk about show theme, the preview show at Milton Frank Stadium, when meetings are held and then new rookie guide for all new band parents and students. She also stated that we are revising our constitution and bylaws. There are two positions on board held by parents of seniors and the need for non-senior parents to shadow them and learn the ropes to potentially work in that capacity next year. She also shared how we communicate with everyone. We use Remind 101, Facebook, Twitter and Charms. Charms is our main source of communication in Charms you will find the calendar, finance information, and be able to sign up here to volunteer. If you cannot get into your Charms account please contact her.

 

Susan Boothe, Treasurer

 

Susan presented the proposed budget, band and instrument rental fees, and explained that most of our expenses are incurred during marching season – especially at the beginning of the year. She talked about fee deadlines, with first payment of fees $200 due by September 1 and remainder due February 1.  Susan reminded everyone that by volunteering you can receive credits that help pay these band fees.  She shared we are willing to work with you on fees if you have issues making the payments by the due dates - please talk with her or Mr. Tankesley.  Fees can be put in bandbox or mailed to the P.O. Box listed on the website. Susan covered how to read your financial statement and how she puts it in Charms.  If you pay full fees by August 18, 2017 you will receive a 5% discount.  Susan is one of the positions looking for someone to shadow her that may be interested in taking her place on the board, as she will be leaving after this school year. The budget was then presented for approval and passed unanimously as presented.

 

Jeff McCluskey, 1st VP – Chaperones

 

Jeff stated his main job is to make sure there are adequate chaperones at each event. He shared this is an easy way to meet the kids and get to know other parents. When you volunteer you earn credits for your account. On the website there is an outdated handbook on chaperoning. His second Job is to make sure that all medical releases and out of county forms are filled out for all trips. If we do not have the completed forms your child will not be able to participate at any games or trips.

 

Louise Struzenberg, 2nd VP- Fundraising

 

Louise talked about the media guide, which is put out by the football boasters. The guide is sold at all football games and we will now get to man some of the booths at the games to receive some profits.  There are ads in the back of the media guide. The ads run from $100 to $500 each. This year they have gotten their prices down to about $35 a page. After you subtract out the $35 from the ad price the rest is profit which they will split 40/60 with us. For seniors to be in the guide with bio you will need to pay $25 or sell an ad.  The senior bio and money must be turned n by August 4. Also new this year with the media guide ads that used to be owned by a certain organization that are not sold or renewed by July 16 are now open to any organization. Please go out and sell those ads.

 

Jennifer Applebaum, 2nd VP-Fundraising

 

Jennifer shared that fundraising is very important to our organization as it helps keep our band fees lower. We will kick off this years fundraising with Fan Cloth. This information will be sent home from band camp with the kids next week. Other fundraising opportunities will be the coupon book, simple sheets and we will continue with the holiday market and silent auction. We may possibly do a Boston butt sale and will take any other suggestions you have. We also have the Publix key cards which equal free money when you shop at Publix. We have these keycards in band room as well as car magnets.

 

Sandra Moore, Credit Keeper

 

Sandra explained that when you volunteer you get credits. There is a chairperson for each event and that person will turn who worked that event and you will receive one credit. She will put it on a spreadsheet that will then be sent over to the treasurer to be entered into your account. You receive one credit for home games, parades and uniform fitting. You get two credits for away games and competitions. YOU can only receive a maximum of 40 per year. You will receive unlimited credits for working VBC or Milton Frank Stadium. Each family can also earn a one-time $50 credit per family the first time you volunteer at Milton Frank Stadium or the VBC. If you don’t see your credit right away or within a month please contact her or Susan Boothe.

 

Liz Boykin, Uniforms

 

Liz mentioned that Louise talked about media guide and reason we take band pictures so early is to get the pictures back in time to be included in this guide. Life touch this year allowed for online ordering but you will still need to fill out form that is in band room. She then showed the uniform and its parts. These uniforms and hangers are expensive. If you don’t send hanger back your account will be charged $5. Uniforms cost about $500 please take care of them. She said all students are being taught how to properly hang the uniforms.  For first 2 games they will wear show shirts and khakis due to how hot it can be. You can get the uniforms cleaned at Wilson Cleaners for $5.50.

 

Mary D’Arienzo, VBC Liaison

 

Mary talked about opportunities for wrist banding and concessions at VBC. Wrist banding requires us to check IDs and you do need to take the responsible vendors class. This class is about 2 hours long and you receive credit for attending. Once you have completed this class she can schedule you for events. This is something only Huntsville High is able to do. Concessions you have to be 16 years or older to work. These opportunities allow you to make a good amount towards your child’s account. She will put out an email when she knows what she needs staffing for. You do need to email her to sign up since VBC events are not in Charms.

 

Closing remarks

Carolyn reminded everyone that those on the board are parent volunteers, many of which work full time and requested parents please be patient and understanding with us if they do not receive an answer or resolution to an issue as quickly as they might have anticipated. She also invited everyone to move to the band room for a visitation fair.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30.

 

 

Respectfully Submitted By:

Angela Davis

HHS Band BPA Secretary

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Band Banquet Video

Posted by Tim McElyea at Jul 14, 2017 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

Attention Class of 2019!  Congratulations, you now have coveted SENIOR status.  You get the best of everything.  The first to sit in chairs, the first crack at opportunities!  Seize the moment, and think about that great month of May, 2019!  You are the stars!  And we are going to highlight the year at the Band Banquet - bigger and better than ever!  Banquet night is YOUR night.  So this year, take plenty of pictures - and enjoy them!  We want to see lots of non-posed actions shots taken with a real camera.  Phones are great for "moments" but not for memories!  We want to produce the highest quality video imaginable.  Also - send us your video!  We can retrieve from any file sharing apparatus, and are happy to consider your clips for the end of year video. 

 

We Need Your Baby Pictures 

Each year we create a senior video that has pictures of all of the seniors. These pictures come from a couple of places. The Band Parents Association takes pictures througout the year and during senior night, plus the parents provide a few. In order to accomplish the video we need your help.

We need you to provide the following:
1 Baby picture

1 Middle/High school or other picture that is characteristic of your student.

Student Plans - College/future plans and major 

You have two ways to get them to us:
1. Scan them and add them to a CD-ROM or flash drive. Label the CD with your Students name and drop in the band box. This is the absolute best way to do it.
2. If you are technology challenged you can email the pictures to Ben Boles, our media coordinator at bolestv@gmail.com.  Please send high resolution files, not from cell phones.  The bigger the file size, the better!  Make sure the email is entitled "Band Pictures - "Student Name."  Include the student information on a sticky note, write on the CD, add as a file on the disc or include in the email.

 

Common Q&A 

When do we Need This? 
April 5, 2019. You can do it now or you can wait til the last minute. The official last minute is April 5, 2019. The banquet is in May so this gives us one month to get the video produced and copies made. This also gives everyone plenty of time to get the pictures in.

What resolution pictures do you need?
Pictures MUST be high resolution.  High resolution is required.  Very low resolution like 200x300 is not good and will display poorly so use your best judgement when scanning. Scan high resolution for small wallet pictures, medium for 4x5s and low/medium for 8x10s. If the resulting file is 20MB it is probably more than we need and if it is 10k it is too small and unusable.

Can I send my baby pictures to you and let you scan them and return them? 

No! DO NOT SEND ACTUAL PRINTED PICTURES!! We cannot be responsible for returning them! You will likely lose them forever so we cannot do this for you.

If you won't scan my pictures how do I do it?
The photo center at Rite-Aid, Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, etc. all have a scanner and a CD creator. Often the technician will do it for you and the cost is not much.  Believe it or not you can use your iPhone or Android camera to take a picture of your old photo prints. It may take a couple of trys to keep the glare down but it can be done and is a good way to quickly digitize your old prints.

I don't want my student's baby picture included. Is that OK?
You bet! Just don't send one and you are guranteed to not be included. 

What happens if I wait until April 6, 2019 to send my pictures?
Your student will not be included in the video. 

If I get busy and forget to send pictures by April 5, 2018 will you hold it up and make an exception?
Unfortunately not. At some point we have to cut it off and we are providing over 6 months notice. This is a volunteer project and free to everyone so we only ask a little cooperation and advance planning. Every year someone forgets and wants to come in late. We just have to hold the line otherwise it becomes a crisis project. Avoid the dissapointment and don't wait so you don't forget.

My Student is unsure about future plans what do I say?
That is optional and not everyone will have that information available. It is OK to not include that information if it is unknown or is uncertain.

Will I get a copy and how much does it cost?
We will create a video for the banquet and provide each Senior with a DVD at no cost. 

 

If you have any questions contact Ben Boles via email at bboles@damson.com.

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2018-19 Marching Band Leadership

Posted by Rich Arnold at Jun 8, 2017 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

Drum Majors:  Jessica Simmons (Head), Katie Applebaum, Ansley Boles

Band Captains: Thomas Blackwell & CJ Drake

Color Guard Captains:  Rylee Carroll, Sarah Gill & Annabelle Rizzardi

Majorette Captains:  Tess Lambert

Truck Crew Captains:  CJ Drake (Instrument Truck), Braeden Stewart (Percussion Truck)

Prop and Sound Crew Captains:  Steven Maddry & Lindsey Butz

Percussion:  Braden Stewart, Thomas Boykin & Ben Barnett (Front Ensemble)

Flute: Meghan Mackey

Clarinet: Lindsey Butz, Elizabeth Rhonemus

Saxophones: Jacob Skupien, Gabbi Smith

Upper Brass: Jacob Roper, Steven Maddrey & Thomas Tonsmeire

Low Brass: Henry Limbo

Librarians: Gabbi Smith (Head), Rachael Myers, Abbie Graves

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HHS BPA Monthly Meeting Minutes

Posted by Jeff McCluskey at May 3, 2017 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

Description: B_HHSBandbanner_6080740

 

HUNTSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL BAND

HHS 2016-2017

HHS BPA MEETING MINUTES

TUESDAY APRIL 18, 2017

 

 

The monthly meeting of the HHS Band BPA was held on Tuesday April 18, 2017 in the band room.  The meeting was called to order by Margaret Turner at 7:15.

 

Margaret Turner, President

Margaret began the meeting by reading the slate of candidates for BPA Board positions for the 2017-2018 school year.  There was a motion and second to approve the slate as read.  A vote was held and the slate approved without dissent.  Margaret then went over the schedule for the rest of the school year.  Wind Ensemble and Percussion will perform Thursday, 4-20-17.  All students should arrive by 5:45.  The Symphonic and Jazz Bands will perform 5-2-17.  The banquet will be held 5-9-17 at First Baptist Church and be catered by Tortora’s.  The last band performance will be graduation.  At the end of the meeting Margaret reported that a committee will be formed to determine what to do with all of the awards displayed in the band room.

 

Stuart Ivey, Director

Mr. Ivey shared that the BPA Board approved the purchase of new storage cabinets for the music library.  Color Guard recently held auditions and 24 students and 2 alternates were selected.  Three majorettes were selected.  There will be 147 kids in band next year with 125-130 marching .  He discussed the calendar and stated that all students are required to attend all concerts.  He also discussed the hiring process for the next band director(s).

 

Sherry Seals-Tonini, 1st VP Chaperones

No report.

 

Jennifer Applebaum and Ernie Limbo, 2nd VPs Fundraising

Jennifer stated that she is checking on the football media guide.  Typically, the band is allowed to sell ads for the media guide but no mention has been made of it to this point.

 

Susan Boothe, Treasurer

Susan stated that we are about $3,800.00 in the black this year.  She just transferred $6,000.00 to the uniform account.  Payments are coming in.

 

Jeff McCluskey, Secretary

No report.

 

Carolyn Drake, Communications

No report.

 

Liz Boykin, Uniforms

Liz reported that a couple marching uniforms were still out, and formal uniforms are coming in.  All seniors’ uniforms have been returned.

 

Brian Ragan, Equipment

No report.

 

Sandra Moore, Credit Keeper

No report.

 

Mary D’Arienzo, VBC Liaison

Mary reported that 8 people attended the latest Responsible Vendor class at the VBC.  Three new people worked wristbanding this past weekend.

 

Machelle Fletcher and Roxanne Carroll, Concessions/Bricks

Machelle reported that they have sold a brick and have had 7 inquiries.

 

Karen Parker, Trips Coordinator

No report.

 

Gena Black, Hospitality

Gena reported that the banquet will be 5-9-17 at First Baptist Church.  Enter from entrance 5 or 6 from St. Clair.  Reservations need to be turned in with payment as a headcount is needed by the end of the month.  Students who performed at MPA will get a letter or a pin if they already have their letter.

 

Louise Strutzenberg, Media

No report.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 7:45.

 

Respectfully Submitted by:

Jeff McCluskey

HHS BPS Secretary

4-24-17

 

 

 

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HHS BPA Monthly Meeting Minutes

Posted by Jeff McCluskey at Mar 31, 2017 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

Description: B_HHSBandbanner_6080740

 

HUNTSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL BAND

HHS 2016-2017

HHS BPA MEETING MINUTES

TUESDAY MARCH 21, 2017

 

 

The monthly meeting of the HHS Band BPA was held on Tuesday March 21, 2017 in the band room.  Margaret Turner called the meeting to order at 7:14.

 

Margaret Turner, President

Margaret began the meeting by stating that the slate for next year’s BPA Board will be presented tonight and voted on next month.  Sandra Moore, after offering to accept nominations from the floor, then presented the nominations for next year’s BPA Board on behalf of the Nominating Committee.  The nominations are as follows:

 

President:                  Carolyn Drake

1st VP Chaperones:  Jeff McCluskey

2nd VP Fundraisung:             Jennifer Applebaum

2nd VP Fundraising:  Louise Strutzenberg

Treasurer:                  Susan Boothe

Secretary:                   Angela Davis

Communications:     Carolyn Drake

Concession/Bricks:  Roxanne Carroll and Machelle Fletcher

Credit Keeper:                       Sandra Moore

Equipment:               Brian Ragan

Hospitality:               Gena Black

Media Coordinator: Ben Boles

Trip Coordinator:      Karen Parker

VBC Liaison:              Mary D’Arienzo

Uniform:                    Liz Boykin

 

Stuart Ivey, Director

Mr. Ivey stated that this is a relaxed time in the band room.  Students have received a “Band Participation Contract.”  This documents pertains to schedule requests for the upcoming year.  It must be turned in by 4-13-17 in order to march next year.  He went over the remaining band schedule for the year. Sole and Ensemble is 4-1-17 followed the next week by All State from 4-5 to 4-8-17.  The Wind Ensemble and Percussion concert is 4-20-17 and the Symphonic and Jazz Bands will perform 5-2-17.  On 5-4-17 is the Senior Showcase visual arts demonstration and the banquet is 5-9-17 at First Baptist Church.  The last band event of the year is the graduation concert on 5-25-17.

 

Sherry Seals-Tonini, 1st VP Chaperones

No report.

 

Jennifer Applebaum and Ernie Limbo, 2nd VPs Fundraising

No report.

 

Susan Boothe, Treasurer

Susan passed out the budget report and a copy of the bank statement. 

 

Jeff McCluskey, Secretary

No report.

 

Carolyn Drake, Communications

No report.

 

Liz Boykin, Uniforms

Liz reported that only 10 marching uniforms are still out.  Concert band dresses may be gently washed but the boys should have their tuxedos dry cleaned.

 

Brian Ragan, Equipment

No report.

 

Sandra Moore, Credit Keeper

No report.

 

Mary D’Arienzo, VBC Liaison

Mary asked for help at the VBC on Thursday and Friday.  Monday 3-27-17 from 6-8 p.m. is the next Responsible Vendor class at the VBC.  She will attempt to contact middle school parents about the class.  We always need concessions help as well.

 

Machelle Fletcher and Roxanne Carroll, Concessions/Bricks

Roxanne reported that the previously reported track and field opportunities at Milton Frank fell through.  She will be pushing brick sales through the band and Panther Postings.

 

Karen Parker, Trips Coordinator

No report.

 

Gena Black, Hospitality

Gena reported that the banquet is May 9, 2017 at First Baptist Church at a time to be determined but probably around 6:30.  She will let everyone know about the cost but it will be around $10.00.  The caterer will likely be Tortoras.  A head count will be needed about a week before the banquet.

 

Louise Strutzenberg, Media

Louise reported that she needs senior pictures.  When she is certain that the email link works, she will send an email to senior parents.  Pictures are due 4-7-17.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 7:41.

 

Respectfully Submitted by:

Jeff McCluskey

HHS BPS Secretary

3-27-17