Pottsgrove Marching Band has Championship Season

Photos submitted by the Pottsgrove School District

From left: Row 1- Lauren Yeanish, Amiyyah Cousins, Laura Hoffman, Vicki Keefer, Ellen Welty, Alyssa Hill, Ciara Markoski, Jorden Taylor; Row 2- Fox Coniglario, Maggie Slichter, Jakob Marlow, Korbin Dorris, Sam Pettine, Moyo Akoma, Hannah Marsteller, Kydira Garfield, Neil Slichter, Jaydan Dorris, Chris Perry; Row 3- Katheine Perry, Sydney Renner, Alyssa Confino, Christiana Haagen, Jiajun Lin, Owen Dobbs, Evan Croxton, Ethan Derstine, Sophia Steyaert, Carmela Steyaert, Lydia Masimore, Alexi Neiffer, Josiah Thieme; Row 4- Abdel Matias-Rivera, Mason Vetter, Colton DiCriscio, Coriana Neiffer, Garrett McGuinness, Joshus Ross, Matt Bechtel, Zachary Schueck, Kylie Fralich, Jayse Welty. Missing: Macey Cohn, Grace Derstine, Madison Palma, Jeffery Robles

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

The Pottsgrove High School Marching Band recently completed their season with an array of awards and recognitions for 2018. 

The Falcon Marching band competes through the Tournament of Bands and Cavalcade of Bands  organizations.

Tournament of Bands is one of the largest competitive band organizations in the country. 

Founded in 1972 by the National Judges Association, Tournament has grown to more than 400 active schools and organizations. 

Pottsgrove Seniors at Cavalcade of Bands Championships From left, Shawn Campopiano, Director, Josiah Thieme, Jayse Welty, Joshua Ross, Neil Slichter, Alexi Neiffer, Maggie Slichter, Fox Coniglario, Garrett McGuinness, Carmela Steyaert, Ciara Markoski, Laura Hoffman.

Tournament of Bands sanctions approximately 100 field band events and nearly 100 indoor events as well as two major championships at the conclusion of each competitive season. On any given Saturday night in the fall, the organization will have from eight to 14 field band competitions providing the opportunity for hundreds of marching bands to participate in its competitive arena.

Cavalcade of Bands is a non-profit organization composed of more than 100 member schools from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. It hosts over 80 events each year for scholastic programs to compete and receive feedback from certified music and marching adjudicators. 

Pottsgrove Marching Band concluded their regular season as Tournament of Bands Region 3 Class 2A Champions, which is similar to the PIAA sports classifications. Pottsgrove is a member of Region 3, which includes all of southeastern Pennsylvania. The number “2” designates the size of the band membership and the letter “A” is their classification.

At the Atlantic Coast Championships, where teams from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia were represented, the Falcon Marching Band finished 11th out of 33 bands. This finish qualified Pottsgrove as an Atlantic Coast Championship finalist for the first time since 2008.

And finally, at last weekend’s Cavalcade of Bands Championship in Allentown, the Falcons finished with a bronze medal in The American A Division. Competition was fierce, as the band ended less than 2 points short of the gold. This is the first time Pottsgrove has medaled since 2012.

In addition to Pottsgrove’s competitive successes, band students received a total of $3500 in scholarships from Tournament of Bands. 

Neil Slichter and Josh Ross each received $250 from our Region, and Josh Ross received a $3,000 scholarship from Tournament at the Atlantic Coast Championships. 

All scholarships will be presented at the High School Band and Orchestra Winter Concert on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Richard Radel Auditorium at PGHS.

The Marching Band is under the direction of Shawn Campopiano.