Huntsville High School Band

HUNTSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL BAND

 

 

The HHS Band Parent Association meeting was held in the HHS Band Room at 7:30 pm. The meeting was called to order by President, Lisa McCrary.

 

Lisa McCrary, President

Lisa welcomed all the HHS BPA parents to the second official BPA meeting of the school year. Special thanks to the volunteers at the first full uniform football game. And, a reminder that Lisa still needs a replacement Uniforms Chair person.

 

CALENDAR:   Sept 25:             First full Band football game (at Austin)

                        Sept 28:             Wind Ensemble Concert (7:00 pm)

                        Oct 2:                 Band football game (at Gadsden)

Oct 5-9:              Fall Break

Oct 8:                 Band football game (Hazel Green – Milton Frank)

Oct 16:               Band football game (at Bob Jones)

Oct 20:               Next Band Parent Association Meeting (7:30 pm)

Oct 23:               Band football game (at James Clemons)

Oct 24-25:          Marching Band Competition in Rome, GA & Six Flags

Oct 29:               Band football game (Florence – Milton Frank)

March 21-28:      International Trip to Italy

 

 

Lisa McCrary, President

Questions came up about how students are to handle uniform pieces at the football games. Lisa explained that each student needs to have a plastic grocery bag folded and tucked into their hat. If the students need to take off their uniform jacket, it must go into the plastic bag to avoid getting stained or marked up. Gloves must be pinned together with a safety pin and slipped into the webbing pocket in the hat. The cost for replacement gloves is $3. The students need to look uniform. Girls need to have their hair either tied up on top of the head or braided and tucked into the jacket, with no hair touching the collar. How girls wear their hair determines the size of the hat. Hats must be worn tilted forward, so that the plume on top stands straight. If the hat gets tilted back, the plume goes down and looks bad. Drum Majors are a little different.

 

Stuart Ivey, HHS Band Director

Mr. Ivey greeted the Band parents, and thanked the volunteers and chaperones. Please encourage others to continue coming to the Band meetings, because there is so much important information. The next 4 football games are away games, including over Fall Break. The game during Fall Break will be a volunteer band. There are two more football games after the next Band Parent Association meeting. Please watch the schedule this month.

 

On September 28^th, we will have a Wind Ensemble Concert at 7 pm. The Ensemble will perform 8 pieces of music. A trombonist wrote one of the pieces and a student teacher will be conducting one of pieces.

 

The overnight trip to the upcoming marching band competition in Rome, GA and Six Flags is coming together for October 24^th and 25^th. Mr. Ivey expects to have an extra practice on October 23^rd before the competition. Simply Sheets fundraising orders are due tonight. More to come on the Italy trip. We will be having two meetings specific for the trip coming up. Please register as soon as possible, so we can get the final count. Remember to get your Passports. The process can take up to 4 to 6 weeks. If you already have your passport, check your expiration date. The trip flight will be direct from Atlanta to Rome.

 

A Freshman parent asked a question regarding transportation to the games and events. Parents and students will need to get their own transportation to the Sparkman game at A&M, and this Friday is a ½ school day. Remember to bring $5 for pizza and Gatorade at the Sparkman game. It is 8^th Grade Night and we rehearse at 5:30, march in at 6:30 and perform at half time. We can use the school buses when it does not conflict with school routes, for example we might leave on buses for Decatur locations around 5:15 pm. We take charter buses to games that are further away.

 

Andrew White, VP-Chaperones

Sign ups for chaperones is going well on SignUp Genius online. We need chaperones for home and away football games. Chaperones earn Service Credits that can be applied to their student’s Charms account for Band Fees. All students need to turn in the Medical Consent form and the Out of County Trip forms as soon as possible before students can be allowed on any bus trips. The Out of County Trip form does NOT have to be notarized this year. Forms are available at the meeting and on the Band’s website. If you can’t remember if you turned in the forms already, please log into Charms and check the forms section. If you have any problems, please email Andrew. The forms book goes on the trips, and new forms are needed each year.

 

Margaret Turner and Sherry Seals-Tonini, VP-Fundraising

Margaret and Sherry discussed the next fundraising opportunities. Remember to use your Publix cards for the Band. Margaret searched online and found that the top three recipients in Alabama were Randolph school, Hampton Cove Elementary, and HHS PTSA. Simply Sheet orders are due tonight. There are also a last few Coupon Book deliveries that need to be picked up by students. The next big fundraiser will be the Holiday Marketplace and Silent Auction at the time of the Winter Concert. They might try to fit in another couple of fundraisers before the end of the year.

 

Susan Pendergrass, Treasurer

Please pay your dues. Financial statements have been emailed out. Susan presented the to date Budget for the HHS BPA for the 2015-2016 year showing the recent postings of income and expenses. Susan made a motion to vote on the updated Budget, which was seconded by a BPA parent, and all in favor approved the updated Budget. Susan, Lisa and Margaret have been working with the bank to update the Board members authorized to access the BPA checking account. For ease of use and expense tracking, Susan made a motion to authorize Susan, Lisa and Margaret to have debit cards for use on the BPA checking account. Andrew White seconded the motion, and by a showing of hands all those in favor the BPA approved the motion. There was a final motion made by Mr. Ivey to change the ByLaws increasing service credits for Board members and Chairmen from a set number of “35” service credits to a definition of “one-half of the regular returning band student annual fee”. The dues for this year went up slightly, and the intent was for Board members and Committee Chairs to receive ½ of the annual band dues, which does not add up after the Band fee increase. This change will better serve the current and any future changes. Because it is a change to the BPA ByLaws, it requires a vote of the membership. Mr. Ivey made the motion, which was seconded by several BPA parents in unison, and by a showing of hands of all in favor, the motion passed and was approved.

 

Tracy Lovik, Secretary

A meeting sign-in sheet is at the entry door to the Band Room. Please sign-in after the meeting, if you missed the sign-in sheet coming into the meeting. The meeting Minutes will be posted each month on the Band website.

 

Christi Robinson, Communications

Christi continues to send the weekly (and sometimes more often) band email news. Please note on any email replies to the weekly email only go to her email address. It is faster for you to contact another person directly, if you are responding to information in the news emails. Be sure to read all the way through each news email for important information.

 

Hannah Lovik, Media Coordinator

Hannah has volunteered to be our new Media Coordinator. She will be taking pictures at the football games and events for the Band facebook page and website. If you would like your own photos included and shared on the facebook page, feel free to email pictures to Tracy Lovik at TLovik@hotmail.com . If you do not want your student photographed, please notify Lisa or Tracy immediately, and we can arrange to blur out any pictures that you do not want on display. A BPA parent had a question about the individual band pictures that were taken during band camp over the summer. Lisa explained that those pictures can still be ordered, and pictures packets went home with students during sectional. Retakes will be available in October, and you can arrange to order more pictures at that time, too.

 

Mary D’Arienzo, VBC Liaison

Mary is still looking for more people willing to do wristbanding at the VBC.  The Havoc season is starting, and there will be concerts, Disney on Ice and the circus coming up. Concessions are going well, and students are getting involved. Students 16 years old can work concessions at the VBC, and no training is required for concessions. For wristbanding, a 2 hour Responsible Venor class is required by the VBC. When you sign up for an event, Mary will send out an email with instructions on times and where to park. Service credits for the Band have a limit, but VBC work is unlimited. If you want band and VBC emails to go directly to the students, too, please log in to Charms and add the student’s email address. There is a place to add multiple email addresses.

 

Lisa McCrary, Uniforms

Lisa is looking for a reliable Uniforms replacement that can work with her this year for training. Lisa will start issuing Concert Uniforms next week, and determining coat and pant sizes. Please let her know if you need replacement shoes. Please get your uniforms dry cleaned at Wilson’s. We will have two Parades in November and December. After that, students can get the uniform dry cleaned and return them back to Lisa in the Band Room. We will not be wearing the uniforms at District Honor Band (we usually do wear them for MPA).

 

Janet Kaylor, Hospitality

Lisa presented for Janet, and the she will be coordinating a number of events for the Band, including District Honor Band (we will not be hosting MPA this year), the Holiday Market Place and Silent Auction, and the End of the Year Banquet. For the Wind Ensemble Concert in September, we will likely do punch and cookies.

 

Shelley Corbett, Concessions/Brick Sales

Lisa presented for Shelley, who will be available to take Commemorative Brick sale orders. Order forms are available at the meeting and on the Band website. There is a sign-up sheet for concessions opportunities at the football games. We need 16 people for the Hazel Green game during Fall Break. If we do not have 16 volunteers, we will have to pass on the opportunity. Concession volunteers get free parking, free admission and service credits. It is a fundraiser opportunity for the Band, and helps to cover the costs of the buses.

 

Ben Davis, Equipment

Ben handles the Band trucks and the band-owned instruments. He has served for 14 years, and this is his last year and he is looking for a replacement to train. He also needs another truck driver, and you do not need a CDL. The trucks belong to HCS, but the Band pays for the maintenance. Ben would like to get new decals for the trucks, which will also need a coat of paste wax to protect the decals and extend their life. We are looking into the cost and the style for the decal replacement.

 

Senior Night, Ann Fulmer

The Senior Night is currently scheduled for the last football home game of the regular season on October 29^th. Ann’s grandson is a Sophmore. The Seniors get to go out on the field to be recognized with their parents. They will receive a monogrammed blanket from the Band.

 

The meeting was adjourned by Lisa McCrary, President at 8:28 pm.

 

The next HHS BPA meeting will be on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 7:30 pm.

 

Respectfully submitted by:

Tracy Lovik, HHS BPA Secretary