“What makes this show different from past shows is that it’s a lot darker. The music, the staging, the everything,” says Nathaniel Mullis who composed several portions of the show. He continues saying, “Not only that, it tells a story. It’s not just a show with music and drill, but a show with character.”

Titled as “Once Upon A Dream” the theme follows the story of a girl, donned in pigtails and pajamas, who falls asleep and drifts into a nightmare where demons are haunting her. To musically-savvy people, this story can be told just by listening to the music, which pulls its melody from “Mind Heist” by Zack Hemsey, a composition featured in the movie Inception. The show also features parts of the theme song for Freddy Krueger. Creepy.

Even aside from the bold descent into darkness, what makes this show different from the others is that the Colorguard is performing alongside the drumline. This seems somewhat hectic at first. Ten girls, tossing flags and rifles, in close proximity to ten drumline members, all that are carrying various sizes of drums, on a mat the size of a gym floor, all at the same time? Yes, this is crazy and at first, there weren’t many supporters of this decision.

“At first, I was dreading it, but now I can deal with them most of the time,” says sophomore and bass drum player Alex Ward. Well, no pain no gain, right? Even those in Colorguard didn’t necessarily agree with the change.

Sydney Key stated, “I didn’t like it at first, at all. I like it a little better now because it takes some pressure off of the color guard and keeps things fresh.” And with that, the show must go on.

It  begins with a soft, lullaby-like melody played by the front ensemble. (For those of you living outside of the realm of musical knowledge, the front ensemble consists of keyboard instruments–marimbas, vibraphones,  the xylophone. It also features electronic keyboards, synths, a bass guitar, a gong, a bass drum, and other small auxiliary percussion instruments that add color to the ensemble.) The lullaby gets softer and slower as the little girl drifts off to sleep and black-hooded figures circle around her. It’s not until they take off their hoods, revealing their darkened, demonic-looking faces (this even includes the usually angelic face of Abigail Aldred) that the sleeping victim realizes that she has awoken in a nightmare.

Hearing the music alone, one can almost feel a drop in their stomach at this moment. The girl screams and runs in terror from the drumline demons and the music intensifies as if hell has boiled over. Marimbas begin playing like madmen in an insane frenzy of pulsing rhythms. Layered over them are powerful, melodic chords played by the vibraphones, electronic keyboards, and synths. And over them are the drumline, that bang and pound out jarring, driving rhythms. Basically, the show is a concoction of layers and layers of eerie, creepy, beautiful horror. And that’s just the tip of the bloody iceberg. The rest you’ll just have to see for yourself. This all may sound like an exaggeration, but during North Augusta Indoor’s last performance, they ended up making a kid cry (hence, the hide your kids advice aforementioned). At least that’s what band director, Chuck Deen says.

The entire show features interesting techniques regarding both musical and visual perfomance from the drumline and front ensemble. During one part of the show, members of front ensemble quickly reach out towards the audience and lock eyes with someone, then pull in as if grabbing them. In another part, they lock eyes again with audience members and scream. The show requires all of the members to be engaged emotionally in the music and perform not only with their hands but with their body and their face. And of course, the color guard has to be just as lively and intense.

Nathaniel Mullis sums it up well, saying, “There’s a new level of complexity to it [the show]. More emotion hast to go into the show from the players. You have to really make the audience believe they’re in a nightmare or they’re going to lose interest.”

So far, it looks as if the dedication and desire of Indoor members is paying off. Already North Augusta’s Indoor Percussion Ensemble has received postive critiques in competition. They placed second in their most recent competition at T.L. Hanna and hope to do even better at their next competition on March 24th at South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, SC.  Indoor Percussion will be performing at the school March 22nd during the band concert for those of you interested in getting  small thrills, and I don’t know…maybe even having nightmares?

Update: North Augusta Indoor Percussion finished their season, winning second place in the Carolina Indoor Percussion Association (CIPA) championships against eleven other schools from around the southeast.

Each year the participants have to go through Districts which were held in Lexington Technology Center of District 4. Some of the different areas of competition are Sports Management, Partnership of Business, Community Service, and Emerging Business Issues. Conner Fowler took 2^nd at Sports Management and Jerryd Curry took 4^th. McKinley Pippin took 1^st in Emerging Business with Paul Liner and Hyuri McDowell. To be considered for State Convention competitors have to place 1^st through 6^th in their competition. All of the students just listed will be going to Charleston with others who place as well.

This year FBLA officers are: Will Harley- President

Matthew Larry- Vice President

Secretary- Kaylee Gough

Treasurer –Hannah Reese

Other areas of leadership would be Parliamentarian: Graham Shuford, Historian: Alaina Miller, and Reporter: Victoria Long.

FBLA also has an area of competition that works with the community, it is called Project TAB. Will Harley, Hannah Reese, and Matthew Larry are all together working on Project TAB which stands for Teaching Adolescents and adults about Bullying. There is another article on the tyjna.com website by Ricky Baldwin that covers this new project.  http://tyjna.com/news/2012/02/14/fbla-labels-bullying-awareness-in-schools-with-a-tab/  [Check this article out!]

Last year in June some of the FBLA students got the chance to go to Nationals and those students were: Maddie Myers, Kyler Childs, McKinley Pippin, Alaina Miller, Kaylee Gough, Will Harley, Paul Liner, and Matthew Watke. It was held in Orlando Florida and they got to do many other activites besides compete. They spent a whole day at Disney World and that is an experience that many students do not get to have on a school event. Paul Liner that “Nationals was the best time that I have had in a long time just being with my friends but also getting a learning experience as well.”

Being in FBLA is not just about competing in events or having meetings after school, these students have made a strong bond with each other. Friendships have been made throughout the conventions and to provide students with the experience of learning and getting to develop new relationships as well.

Photo credit: scfbla.org

The State Beta Club Convention was held February 10-11 at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel in (you guessed it) Myrtle Beach, SC. More than 20 clubs and 1600 Betas from across the state met to compete in all manner of academic and talent events and to elect the 2012-2013 state officers. North Augusta invaded Friday afternoon with 92 delegates, and our Betas acquitted themselves admirably throughout the weekend.

As mentioned in the preview article, the state officer election is the focus of the convention. NAHS sent junior Zack Rogers into the breach as a candidate for vice-president. Zack was a standout in an unprecedented field of 10 candidates, charming everyone with his campaign theme, “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: A Beautiful Day in Beta Club.” In fact, his one-minute campaign skit placed second, with a crowd-pleasing combination of the original Mr. Rogers theme and a unique rendition of the “Wop.” In the end, Zack lost a close race to Brock Fletcher of Mayo High School, but expressed little regret: “Running for state office was an experience I will never forget. Even though I did not win, I feel that I pulled more humility and determination to success out of those few days than I have gained in my entire high school career.” To anyone with future hopes of candidacy, Zack advises “a well rehearsed speech, a toothy smile, and polished repertoire of popular dance moves.” Also important? Dressing well. Zack pulled out all the stops in the fashion department, sporting many colors of pants and several bow ties that did nothing but earn him votes. At the end of the convention, the new state officers were installed: River Lawrence of Chesnee High School as president, Fletcher as vice president, and Nicholas Benson of Carvers Bay High School as secretary.

In another campaign, North Augusta competed in the group talent with a production of “Hairspray.” The thirty or so students (including yours truly) spent three and a half months practicing a seven minute medley of notable songs from the musical, including “Good Morning Baltimore,” “New Girl in Town,” “Nicest Kids in Town,” and, of course, “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” The group competed against three other schools in two rounds, a preliminary with no judging, and a final round. NAHS put on a four-star production, but a minor infraction involving the soundtrack incurred a 20 point penalty which cost “Hairspray” a spot on the podium. Despite disappointment with the end result, most members expressed nothing but pride and appreciation for the experience. Senior Samantha Farmer, our NAHS Beta Club president and the mastermind and choreographer behind “Hairspray,” said, “I have never been more proud of my talent group; they did better than I could have ever imagined. I am so privileged to have worked with them.” The group talent winner was Chesnee High School with a production of “Wicked.”

NAHS also did well on the academic and artistic fronts. Senior Kristen Barbour defended her state spelling title, winning first and a trip to Nationals for a second time. The annual scrapbook by seniors Rebecca Rudisill and Amber Mitchell and junior Jessie Dollar also won first place. Said Rebecca, “A lot of hard work went into that scrapbook, and I’m glad to see it going to Nationals.” NAHS also won the Quiz Bowl tournament with a solid team consisting of seniors Samantha Farmer, Cody Smoldt, and myself, and junior Daniel Pippen. Senior Madelyn Wasden placed second in the oratory competition with a stirring three minute speech to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease. The NAHS banner by senior Rachel Ward took third. The winners will travel to Greensboro, NC in June to compete at the National Convention.

Beta Club is one of the greatest extracurricular activities available to students here at the school, and our club proved that it is one of the best anywhere at the state convention. Mrs. Marks-Johnson said, “There is nothing like watching students give their best. NAHS proves time and time again that we are all-around competitors, and I am so proud of all the Betas.” Once again, Mrs. Marks-Johnson pretty much wrote my conclusion for me. Thanks, MJ, I could get used to this partnership. And as June 1st and graduation approach, I’m realizing that Beta Club is one of the experiences I’ll miss and treasure most of all, and I know I’m not alone in that feeling.

On January 27, 2012, North Augusta High School’s Future Business Leaders of America attended Mossy Creek Elementary School under Project TAB. TAB is an acronym that stands for “Teaching Adolescents and Adults about Bullying”. Through performing skits and presenting power points, the FBLA did just that for the students at Mossy Creek Elementary School.

It was the first school out of the many the FBLA has already attended including: Belvedere Elementary School, Hammond Hill Elementary School, North Augusta Middle School, and Paul Knox Middle School.  Mathew Larry is one of the presenters for FBLA and he describes bullying as “an epidemic that is infiltrating our schools”. He expresses that he wants nothing more than to cure this. The visits have been very successful, and the representatives of FBLA have been awarded with a lot of praise. Brandon Abbott, a keyboarding teacher at Paul Knox stated his thanks saying, “They [The FBLA students] were very well spoken and obviously did their research on the topic. I truly believe that the students of PKMS  found value in this presentation”.

Project TAB will continue to make a difference in upcoming presentations to North Augusta Elementary School, on North Augusta Service Network, and through the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce AM Connection at North Augusta Community Center. Will Harley, also a presenter for FBLA, states his personal goal for the project. Coming from a strong-built senior at North Augusta, it’s hard to imagine when he reveals that he was bullied in elementary school. Because of this background the he explains, “Bullying can have a lot of harmful effects on kids, an the idea is to inform them about the types of bullying and how to prevent it. I just want to stop kids from experiencing that kind of hurt”. Certainly the Project TAB can’t fix all the bullying problems in schools. That starts with the student. However, it’s beyond doubt that FBLA has given schools across North Augusta a brighter future.

The State Beta Club Convention is coming up February 10-12 in Myrtle Beach. And let me tell you, it is a whirlwind of fun. At the convention, Beta clubs from across the state compete in various scholastic and artistic events and elect the state officers. Winners from each competition are invited to participate in the national convention, and the state officers can choose to run for national office. North Augusta has one of the best-represented Beta Clubs in the state: last year we took 70 and this year we’ll be an all-out powerhouse with 92 attendees.

The focus of the convention is the state officer election. Campaigning plays out over a few meet-and-greet sessions, speeches, and a presentation of the skits. Each candidate develops a theme for his/her campaign, usually a clever pun or allusion using their name. This year, Zack Rogers is running for vice-president, using “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” as his theme. On his expectations for the convention, Zack said “I have pieced together a campaign that will hopefully be successful. As far as the weekend goes, I’m expecting to shake a lot of hands, forget a lot of names, and, if I want to win, do a lot of networking.” As Zack said, networking is important to victory, and schools with candidates running for different offices frequently make alliances. After campaigning is completed, ballots are cast and the state officers are inaugurated during the third and final general assembly.

Another major part of the convention experience is the talent competition. Talent is the marquee event of the competitions, and it is performed in the main conference room in front of all attendees. As the most visible competition, it is usually the most hotly contested, with almost every attending school entering an act. Talent is split into two categories: small groups, which have no more than four participants and four minutes to perform, and large groups, which have at least five participants and seven minutes to perform. Each year brings a new crop of performers. Some are excellent, but none are more enjoyable than the truly terrible. Or maybe that’s just my inner sociopath showing. Anyways, North Augusta has a solid track record in large group, with several top finishes and a state victory in 2009 with “Grease.” Last year’s small group “Free Fallin” fell in the preliminaries, which in the humble opinion of yours truly was a gross injustice. This year, North Augusta will once again take the large group stage with a performance of “Hairspray.”

The other academic and artistic competitions are frequently overshadowed by the election and talent competitions, but they should by no means be overlooked. Last year, North Augusta distinguished itself in several categories. Kristen Barbour won in the spelling competition, and Rebecca Rudisill’s banner bested the field to receive first place honors. The Quiz Bowl team landed a strong second-place finish. We’re all hoping to add a bit more hardware to the Beta Club trophy case  this year. Kristen is hoping for a repeat in spelling this year, saying, “I’m a little bit more nervous than I was last year because now I have the expectation of winning. I’ll probably read the dictionary on the way up.”

For members of the Beta Club, February is looking pretty good. The convention is always a memorable experience, and if you’re a Beta who hasn’t ever considered it, I strongly suggest checking it out for 2013. In the words of our fearless leader, Mrs. Suman Marks-Johnson, “The Beta Club Convention is an excellent opportunity for students to come together in the spirit of devotion to their schools and communities.”  Thanks Mrs. Marks-Johnson, you pretty much wrote my conclusion for me. So, to all you “I can’t wait for summer” folks out there, slow down a minute and take a look around. Maybe February has something up its sleeve for you too.

Beta Club’s mission is “to promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, service and leadership among elementary and secondary school students.” In our school’s chapter, this means to sponsor events and to do service for the community. In previous years you may have seen Betas unloading Optimist Club Christmas trees, cheering on runners during the Bolivia Run, painting faces at elementary school carnivals, or dressed up as bananas at Bruster’s. You have undoubtedly heard of the annual Spooky to be Hungry Food Drive and if not, you surely know what Mr. NASH is. All of these events are held by Beta Club every year to help benefit causes the members of Beta Club find worthy of supporting.

Mrs. Suman Marks-Johnson, our chapter’s sponsor says, “The NAHS Beta Club is not just dedicated to high academic achievement. Each year Beta Club sponsors projects like Spooky to Be Hungry, Shamrock sales for the Muscular Dystrophy Association – our national service project, and Relay for Life.” Mrs. Marks-Johnson continues to name more service oriented projects that the Beta Club is involved in, “The RECing Crew,” an adaptive recreational program for people with special needs. She says, “Alley Cats bowling on Tuesdays, T-RECs basketball in the fall, t-ball in the spring, along with The RECing Crew on Saturdays are great opportunities for members to actively take a role in teaching, mentoring, and developing friendships with people in the community.”

One of the most important things the Betas do all year is participate in State Convention. Convention is an event during which Betas from all over South Carolina gather to compete in academic and creative competitions as well as elect state officers. In 2010 our chapter nominated Rachel Ward to run for state President under the theme “StarWard: The Force is Strong With This One,” a play off of StarWars. This week our chapter chose from four nominees to determine who would run for 2012 State Vice President.

Those running for nomination to Junior Office this year were Joey Baldwin, Adam Parlor, Danny Thomas, and me, Zack Rogers. Each candidate gave a brief speech in which they presented their running theme and campaign slogan. Elections were held directly after the parent meeting on Monday. I was chosen by the members present to run under the theme “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood: It’s a Beautiful Day in Beta Club” during State Convention this coming February.

Beta Club is an organization molded around the concept of and the belief in giving back to the community that hosts it. Considering financial contributions and contribution of time, Betas are able to give back thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of community service hours. Keep up the good work students!

Not advertising F.L.A.I.R has not given students any motivation to do well in their foreign language classes, Katie Schaade, a junior says that “if I had known about this honor society, it would have made me wanted to do better and have an A atleast once to give me something to look forward to.”

F.L.A.I.R stands for Foreign Language Association For International Rapport and is very popular at Augusta State University. The chairman of this Honor Society is Jana Sandarg from Augusta State. It is for any foreign language and the only requirement is that a student has to have a 90 or above in three consecutive semesters of an unchanged language.

Mike Lott, a sophomore who is in a French class thinks that F.L.A.I.R is a great idea saying that “it is new but seems to be just as important as the rest of the honor societies, especially for students that want to major in a foreign language.”

The charge of being in F.L.A.I.R is five dollars and it can be given to your foreign language teacher at any time. Induction is on Monday, March 7th at 7:00 pm in the Augusta State Performing Arts Theater. There will be a reception before the induction at 6:15 for parents and the inductees to gather.

A spanish teacher at our school, Senora Hughes commented that being in F.L.A.I.R is “an important opportunity for kids to build their resume’ for college, and also taking part in a very fun and interesting honor society.”

F.L.A.I.R was founded in 1985 by Augusta State University and is just now getting popular in the Georgia/Carolina schools. Once a student is put into the honor society, they can then be nominated to be a Student of the Year for F.L.A.I.R if their grades meet a certain requirement.

Ben Phifer, a freshman agrees that “F.L.A.I.R will be a great opportunity now for freshman to get started working on their foreign language classes early so they can join the honor society.”

Now that F.L.A.I.R has been properly introduced, everybody that reads this article needs to go give five dollars to their foreign language teacher by the end of the week so you can be inducted too! If you need anymore information about F.L.A.I.R, here is a link http://www.aug.edu/flair/ check it out!

But what do you do when you are with the NJROTC team? You are either there to be on the rifle team, to be on the armed drill team, to be a part of the unarmed drill team, or you are just trying to get out of gym.

The armed drill team is basically when the students make up a routine similar to color guard, just no flags, and they don’t twirl the gun.

The unarmed drill team is students trying to come up with a routine using only their bodies, kind of like the step team.

The rifle team is students trying to have the most accurate shot with rifles. The most recent drill team meet was the 2010 White Knoll Timberwolf Navy Invitational Drill Meet. The armed drill team won 2^nd place for squad regulations, and the unarmed drill team won 3^rd place for squad regulations.

Junior Gavin Johnson thinks, “You strive to be the best and everyone will be there.” Sophomore Celia Dunstov thinks however, “school teams usually are just for fun and don’t teach much whereas ROTC teaches discipline, strength, endurance, sight, etc.”

Senior Vanda Johnson thinks, “ROTC teaches you how to motivate yourself and others and to always be presentable and pay attention to details.”

The ROTC changed their uniforms this year.They were white shirts with black pants. The ROTC students had to tuck in their shirt wear a belt, and have a straight gig line. For those of you who don’t know, a gig line is when your shirt lines up with your pants buttons. These were the same for the guys and girls. But now there are the tan shirts with the black pants. The girls are supposed to wear the shirts un-tucked and have a gig line. The guys still have to follow the same rules. Wondering what the change is for? Well when the Navy changes with uniforms for the E-6 and below, we change our uniforms as well. So say good bye to the white shirts, they are gone forever!

Little Women is a heart-turning story. Will a new friendship break up a bond of sisterhood? Or can the power of love overcome money? We travel through a story of romance, new friends, loss and triumph, written by Louisa May Alcott and adapted by Scott Davidson to discover that the love and devotion of a family can never be broken.

The four main characters are Josephine “Jo” March, Meg March, Beth March, and Amy March. The play is centered around Jo, played by senior Baylor Shull. Baylor says about Jo, “Jo is independent, strong-headed, and doesn’t believe in love.”

This is kind of a bad thing since she falls in love with Theodore “Teddy” Lawrence portrayed by senior Jeremy Porcha. Jo is the second oldest sister, her older sister Meg March is played by junior Savannah Campbell. Savannah says that, “Meg tries to play the motherly figure and tries to keep the peace when her sisters fight. She falls in love, but doesn’t want to admit it.” Meg falls in love with Mr. John Brooke, portrayed by Senior Michael Danforth.

Next is Beth March, who is portrayed by Junior Cheyenne Lamar. Cheyenne says, “Beth is sweet, attentive, and loving to all of her sisters.”

The final sister, but by all means not the worst sister, is Amy March, is brought to the stage by freshman Rachel Branum. Rachel says that Amy is, “younger, mean, and very stuck-up, but loving to all of her sisters.”

Since characterization is so important, the performers have thought carefully about how they’re going to portray the characters in the play.

Savannah intends to, “have good posture, position, and I’m sorta like Meg in a way. I guess remembering your lines, cues, and the right emotions would be helpful too.”

Baylor intends to, “just be loud and boisterous, with a gentle side.” Cheyenne says, “by being sweet, attentive, and loving to all of my sisters.”

Rachel will, “act younger and stuck-up, and be more caring towards my family.”

So much acting, just from these four people and that’s not including everyone in the cast. Little Women has a cast of 10 people not including the stage crew and the decorating crew. Remaining members of the cast include Kate Funderburk as Marmee (the mother), Aaron Dorch is Mr. March (the father), Rebecca Rudisill who is Aunt Marge, and Kassidy Hammett plays Hannah (the house keeper).

In Stage Crew, Auburn Smith is the stage manager (the head honcho for the stage) and Kris Hodges is the assistant stage manager (the second head honcho). Auburn and Kris are in charge of making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be to receive the right props at the right time. Jo and Teddy have a “fight scene” in the first act, and if they don’t have their swords ready to go at the right spot, the whole scene is ruined. On Decorating Crew, Emma Kitchens is the leader of this crew (and is also secretary/publisher of the drama club) and Charity McClain is the assistant leader of the Decorating Crew. Emma and Charity are to make sure the programs are handed out and the lobby of the auditorium is decorated.

Now you may be wondering how a play comes together? Well obviously the actors have scripts and that’s how they know their lines, but how do Baylor and Jeremy know what exactly to do for their “fight scene”? Well the director, sophomore Emily Wright, and the assistant director, senior Jazzmyne Forsman, teach the actors their blocking. For those of you who don’t know what blocking is, it’s what you’re supposed to be doing while you’re on stage, and as Jazzmyne puts, “it’s the most tedious, frustrating, essential part of the entire process.”

What do Emily and Jazzmyne think of the play? Emily says, “I feel its going to be a big success! The actors have worked really hard and the crews have worked really hard to make this play a success.” Jazzmyne says, “I feel the play is coming together really well. We’ve had a much shorter amount of time to prepare than we ever have had, but everyone, even the new-comers, are adapting so well. It’s going to be FANTASTIC!”

“Drum Major, is your band ready to enter the field for competition?” A question that was asked at B.A.T.S. this past weekend. B.A.T.S., which stands for Bands Across the Savannah, was held by the Jacket Regiment Saturday, October 16. Eleven excellent marching ensembles marched to on to the field to perform their very best show for hope of positive recognition.
Like the bands competing at B.A.T.S, the Jacket Regiment is also a contending band, traveling to multiple competitions each year. With a a great new staff, talented new drum majors, and a brilliant theme, the award winning marching band is doing exceptional this season.
Chuck Deen, Jacket Regiment director, credits much of this year’s success to the band as a whole. “This is the hardest working band we’ve ever had; there is an amazing amount of leadership that has never been there before.” Deen also remarked that “this past spring the students made a promise [to themselves] to move up on all levels. I believe we have done that.”
After winning first place at Midland Valley High School’s Mustang Classic, second place overall at the marching competition in Commerce, Georgia, and 4th place in their AAAA Class at the Irmo competition, the Jacket Regiment continues to strengthen their already magnificent show.
Combine a vibrant array of colors and original choreography with a rich and powerful sound and a massive mat stretching from 10-yard line to 10-yard line, and you would create the best show that the North Augusta band has performed in a while. The show, which was composed by Marty McCartt, is entitled “Frequency”. It illustrates the various sound and color frequencies existing in the world.
Senior color guard co-captains Kimberly Dyches and Lindsey Cliett say the show is fun. “It has a lot of energy and colors. We love it.”
Corey Green, a junior alto saxophone player, calls the show “more interesting and exciting than previous shows I’ve been in.”
Drum majors Travis Pickens and Michael Martin, both seniors, are doing a wonderful job holding everything together. This year is the first in quite a few that the band has actually had two official drum majors. When asked why this decision was made, Mr. Deen responded that “the show appeared to have much need for more backfield sets, and with that we needed another person conducting.” Travis Pickens says that the change from marching to conducting was extraordinary: “it’s exciting to see the forms and watch it all come together.” Travis also says, “it’s an honor to stand in front of a group of people who appreciate band as a true art form.” This is Travis and Michael’s first and final year as drum majors.
Nick Bledsoe, the new color guard instructor, has added much to the band this year as well. Kimberly Dyches remarks that “his methods are the very similar [to former instructor Kevin Piner's].”
The color guard won the caption of Best Guard at the Mustang Classic by an overwhelming point margin. “It just adds inspiration to work even harder to keep getting the awards and recognition,” comments Lindsey Cliett.
Being seniors this year, both girls have taken a lot out of being a part of color guard for four years. Kimberly says, “it takes so much time and effort, but it’s fun. It teaches motivation, discipline, and delayed gratification. It’s been my life.” Lindsey agrees that being in color guard has taught her much discipline. “You work hard for months, then maybe get something for it, but nothing is ever guaranteed.”
Lindsey, Kimberly, and most of the other Jacket Regiment members assisted with the competition this past weekend. Volunteers sold balloons in each school’s colors, “band-o-grams”, and baked goods, along with helping the competitors warm-up and find their way around the campus. The bands started out the day with contending within their class. Once everyone had performed, the seniors were invited on to the field for preliminary awards; T.L. Hanna High, Irmo High, Midland Valley High, and Lake City High all took home first place in each of their classes, ranging from AAAA to A. After an intermission the four class champions along with the next four top band scores of the day were invited back for a final performance, in which the shows were performed once more for the judges to decide the final rankings of the evening.
Each school had extraordinarily creative themes and shows. Brookland Cayce performed an Irish-themed show, including color guard members river dancing, and traditional sounding Irish folk-music; they took home sixth overall with 85.25 points.
Evans High, the B.A.T.S. overall champion last year, had quite an interesting show called “Conspiracy Theory”; it involved multiple numbers with mysterious, private-eye sounding music. With various theatrics, a strong sound, and a score of 89.95, the marching band acquired fifth place.
Silver Bluff had quite an admirable show and an impeccable sound; the Silver Spirit received 83.5 points and eighth place.
With definitive sets and outstanding musical quality, Dutch Fork High School scored 94.2 points, giving them the second place position.
Lake City was looking and sounding bright with their show, “Light”, which got them 84.7 points and seventh overall at the competition.
The Pride of the Valley definitely has a show to be proud of; with amazing sound, vibrant colors, and sharp sets, they have a magnificent show this year. Midland Valley was awarded fourth place, having a score of 91.75.
“Everest: The Ascent” is the title of Irmo’s delightful show with intriguing backdrop pieces and the incorporation of traditional, native dancing and instrumental sounds of the Mount Everest region. With 93.8 points, the band “ascended” to third place overall.
The final performer of the evening was T. L. Hanna from Anderson, South Carolina. The “New World Symphony” show had an extremely powerful sound, with phenomenal visuals. Drum major Wade Murray did a superior job at single-handedly conducting this enormous ensemble not only to AAAA victory, but also the highest score of the day, with 96.15 points, winning them the competition.  Senior Wade Murray commented that the “second run was definitely better; the first one seemed tired. It was nice not to have to deal with the sun being in everyone’s eyes.” Murray also says he’s “never seen the drum line practice so hard. They had mean looks, like they hate the world. They were extremely focused. Everyone was.” This is the first time in the high school’s marching history that they have defeated Dutch Fork.
As for the state competition (to be in Bamberg, South Carolina on Saturday, October 30), Murray remarks, “we hope to make it to state. We haven’t been in two years, so it would be nice.”
It seems as though everybody in the marching community is dreaming of State. North Augusta senior Josh Fulmer says that “state is never a guarantee, but with the way [we] are performing, we won’t get eighth again.” Erin Roberts, a junior on drum line at North Augusta High, comments, “if we continue working really hard and put all of our heart into it, then we absolutely could get state.” Director Chuck Deen agrees, “we are definitely a contender.”

*Picture credit: Susan Cliett, band parent. The picture is of the Jacket Regiment seniors after winning the Mustang Classic.