One Last Line...
Parents and Students,
This will be the last journal entry for this web site. After everyone has uploaded the last photos of the winter season, and maybe a few of last night's banquet, this little corner of the web world will go silent. The photos, however, will remain for posterity for as long as Shutterfly remains in business and allows them to stay. Moving forward, the new class of parent paparazzi will have to decide what they want to do about hosting photos of the band.
It has been an incredibly long school year. As I sit here counting the remaining days, and praying that they pass quickly, I can honestly say that a year ago, I could never have foreseen what was coming. I expected to feel about these final days the same way I did about my daughter's last days of high school four years ago, that they were speeding by and I wanted to slow down and hang on. Unfortunately, I have to admit that my feelings are completely the opposite this time around.
Marching season went well, and the kids did great. I was so proud of them all! I think we got some good photos up on the site, and from the way the kids couldn't wait to get them posted on Facebook, it must be true. With marching season over, anticipation was high for an incredible winter season.
For our family, and others, that dream was never realized. I won't get into it here because the people that care already know the truth. What I will tell you is that I never expected to retire early from being the band photographer. My plan was for eight seasons, not seven. Because of the ineptitude of numerous people in our school, that plan was cut short. People who were supposed to be watching out for our kids let them down, and in the end they taught our kids some unfortunate lessons in what it means to lack integrity, decency, honesty and about having self-serving attitudes.
With all of this finally behind us now, the last nail in the coffin wherein lies the 2011 drumline season being driven home last night in cowardly silence, we will pick up and move on. Before we do, I have this to say to the line:
To those of you who made it through the whole season, and those of you who were left by the side of the road at various points along the way, I have never been more proud of a group of individuals than I am of you. You are courageous, strong, gifted, and powerful. You know the meaning of perseverance and integrity and you learned them because you lived them.
To Matt, thank you for being the most positive influential leader these young people ever had. You taught them what it means to work together as a team, to be able to roll with the punches and to do the right thing, even when it sometimes means making the ultimate sacrifice.
To the drumline parents, you are the most dedicated people I know. You give of your time, your talents, your treasures and your hearts so that the kids can present the best possible show season after season. There are no harder working parents than band parents, and you are the cream of the crop. I'm so grateful for the friendships I have made because my son chose to be a part of this group. You carried me when I couldn't see through my own tears, and you mourned my loss as if it were your own. You are the kind of friends everyone wishes they had. I am truly blessed.
Thank you all for allowing me to be a part of your life for seven seasons. You are what made being a band Mom, and the band photographer one of the highlights of my life. Because you carried on in the midst of adversity and tumult, you have shown others just what it means to never let life get you down, no matter how many clowns get in your way.
To the underclassmen, I wish you all the best next year. You are going to need to cling to what you learned this year if things in the program don't change.
To the seniors, I love you. Each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. I pray that God blesses your futures in mighty ways.
Never let the music die.
Mrs. Perk
Are You Ready for Some...Marching Band?!
First home football game. First Marching Band performance of the season in front of a crowd. Beautiful weather and vibrant green turf ready for cleats and marching shoes. As that old commercial tagline said, "It doesn't get much better than this!"
Hopefully you are attending the game tonight. Of course, the football game is just a set of bookends for the real reason we band parents go, right? I mean come on, we let them use our field because they're too wimpy to practice on asphalt like the band kids. :)
Seriously, I have mixed emotions about this evening. One side of me is excited for this new season to begin, while the other side knows that once it does, it will be over before I know it. Faster than I can blink, we'll be loading up the trailers after GSL and wondering where the season went!
With that in mind, I keep telling myself to just drink in every moment because these are precious times indeed. My camera will be working overtime and I'm sure I'll be up late uploading photos so that I'll be ready to do it all again tomorrow at Mozingo.
I look forward to seeing all those smiling faces at the stadium tonight - both parents AND kids!
Val
Sacrifice
This morning was Day 4 of Band Camp, and I wanted to get up to school to take pictures before it got too hot. Unfortunately, on a day like today, that just wasn't possible. After only about a half an hour of shooting, I had to leave to go cool off and get back to work.
On my way home, all I could do was think about the band kids, and their dirty, sweaty, exhausted faces and honestly, it made me want to cry. They are working so hard, out in heat that I couldn't take for even an hour. As I drove past a couple of teenagers walking along the sidewalk - carefree, probably headed up to QuikTrip for a cold drink and a snack - it made me realize once again what our kids give up in order to participate in the marching band program. Think about it for a minute: For them, summer basically ends two weeks before it does for everyone else. They get up early, work hard, sweat their guts out (literally for some), learn music, march drill, drink gallons of water and come home exhausted at the end of the day. They could be at the pool, at camp or just hanging out with friends, but they choose to do this.
That's dedication. That's hard work. That's sacrifice.
And what is it all for?
That question can be answered if you open your son or daughter's yearbook from last year and look at the marching band, guard and drumline pages. If you're a freshman parent, just look through the past years' photos on this site. You'll see it in their eyes, read it in their smiles.
Our kids do what they do because they love it. They may not think so when sweat is burning their eyes, shirts are stuck to their skin and the goal posts are waving in the heat, but the first time they take the field, it will be there. At the end of the performance, when chins are held high and eyes are shining bright and smiles of satisfaction gleem, it will be there. When they're back in the band room, hanging up uniforms and putting away instruments, laughing and teasing each other, it will be there.
Passion. Determination. Pride. Satisfaction.
Those are the reasons our kids do what they do. It's why they are willing to sacrifice their time and put their hearts into something that most people, including their own parents, wouldn't understand.
I cannot preach enough about the importance of parents supporting their kids in this incredible adventure. If you've been around for a while, but hanging back, just dip your toe in the water and get involved. Go up to school and watch practice, volunteer to help with something, ask your student about their day and listen, really listen to what they have to say about it. Encourage them to hang in there because the reward will be worth all of the hard work. Most of all - and I say this from the heart because I've seen the faces of kids when this doesn't happen - come to the games, come to the competitions and cheer your kid on! There is nothing sadder than hearing one of these kids say that they wish their Mom/Dad would come to watch them play. It is heartbreaking. Your kid may say or act like they don't want you there (mine did, and still does once in a while) but it's really not true. Just like when some of them were in little league, or dance class, or just seeing how high they could make the swings go, they are looking for you and saying "Watch me!" You may not hear it voiced, but the plea is there.
So come on parents, get on your feet! Come on out to camp, or to rehearsal, or at the very least, Parent Preview night. Give this amazing bunch of kids the attention they deserve and crave. You will be amazed at what your son or daughter has accomplished in such a short time...all because of sacrifice.
Last First Day
Well, here it is, my last "welcome to the new year" entry. Wow, how the time has flown!
To all of you freshman students and parents, lucky you! Your journey is just beginning! Enjoy every minute, every note, every step because before you know it, you will be filling the senior shoes.
To the Class of 2011: It's hard to believe we are kicking off your final year. Just walking around watching you in sectionals at band camp this afternoon gave me a lump in my throat. Not only does Francis Howell High School hold a lot of memories for me as my (and my husband's) alma mater, but it is also the home of so many amazing moments that I attribute to my kids, and to my "adopted" kids in the marching band and drumline programs. You are such a wonderful group of young people, and I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching you perform!
As a special gift to you and your parents, you now have your own page on this web site. The "Class of 2011" page has a separate album for each of you, and I am working on copying photos from years past into those albums, and I will be adding new ones that are taken this year. If you see a photo of you that I've missed, please drop me a note and let me know the location and the image number, and I'll put it in there. This should make it easy for you to take a walk down memory lane, create a collage, or make some other wonderful keepsake. I hope you enjoy it.
To you "middle-classmen" this is your year to mentor the freshman, and learn what you can from your upper class counterparts. Absorb their knowledge while you can, and pass along what you already know. Be that shining example of what makes our band program so special.
Now, I have a special task for everyone in this organization: Take LOTS of pictures! Shoot to your heart's content, and upload them here to share with the rest of us. If you do not yet have a username and password, register for one on the site and I will approve it as soon as I can.
This is going to be an incredible season. I can feel it. Step up, play loud, stand tall and make us proud!
Spring Fever Tempered with a Bit of the Blues
Wow, here we are at the end of another year of band. Has it flow by as fast for the rest of you as it has for me?
Senior parents, my heart is with you right now because this time next year I will be in your shoes. You are wondering where the time went, how the years passed by so quickly, and already trying to stretch the days as your child has one foot in high school and the other in the future.
It's a bittersweet time, isn't it? We've done all that we can do to prepare our sons and daughters for these days, but it's hard to prepare our hearts for the mixed feelings of pride and sadness.
For me, I tend to focus on those moments - small or large - that stood out. The first time the marching band performed a new show, the awards they received, the compliments from others. I think about the disappointments too, and none is bound to affect me more than that .663 that kept the drumline out of the WGI semi-finals in which they deserved to compete. That's a hard one to swallow, for sure. But there are so many more good memories than bad ones and that's where we have to keep our focus. The first time the kids performed in the new marching uniforms, the first band trip, that moment of pride you felt when you saw your son or daughter approach you after a show, full of excitement over a job well done.
There are thousands of snapshots in our minds, and hopefully, a few images on this site that each of us can carry with us through the years. Seniors, and senior parents, you will surely be missed but never forgotten. Thank you so much for everything you have put into this program. It was worth every dime, every heartache, every prayer, every minute spent in rain or sun or cold, every mile you put on your car, all the car washes, hours at the Family Arena, cheesecake, braided bread and coupon book. After all of this, it was worth it. Don't ever forget that.
Godspeed and all the best to our class of 2010.
FH Drumline Featured on MCCGA Web Site!
The Francis Howell drumline is being featured on the MCCGA web site. Just click on "View Feature" above the photo on the front page. My apologies to the pit because I didn't get a most of you guys in the shots. I was trying to get our beautiful background in there, and figured they would only use one or two of the images I sent in, not all of them!
To see the images and read the story, go to www.mccga.org.
Open the gates and seize the day!
Wow! Somehow we went from the beginning of marching band season to the winter season already. How amazing is that? Time is flying by isn't it? If you are a senior parent, you are probably more aware of that fact now than ever before.
I hope everyone is enjoying the winter guard and drumline season so far. I have only seen the guard practice once but their show is really good! As a drumline Mom, I've been more involved in that so it's been fun to watch the progress of this talented group of kids. Watching them perform in the gym last Friday night and then again at Blue Springs South High School on Saturday was awesome. Seeing the fruits of everyone's labors play out is such a great feeling.
If you have not had the chance to get involved, I strongly encourage you to do so. Being a part of your son or daughter's high school experience through the band program is a great way to get to know them, their friends and the other parents. Extra hands are always needed, especially with our jumbo props!
You will find that we have a wonderful group of parents and it is a lot of fun to be a part of this group. From shopping at Goodwill for clothes, sewing on buttons and raising hems to critiquing the kids as they tried them on, has been a blast. Bringing meals, joking around with the students during breaks, encouraging them when they struggle and celebrating when they succeed is a rewarding experience.
Kudos to the guys for putting together our imaginative and impressive props. If you haven't seen them yet, you are in for a treat.
Please come on out to Rockwood Summit this Saturday and see what all the fuss is about. Pick out your favorite Newsies and cheer them on. You will not be sorry!
Val (Mama Perk)
On Track for a Great 2009 Season
Last night members of our marching band performed the National Anthem at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL. The weather was great, the band did a wonderful job, and I think (at least I hope!) the kids enjoyed themselves.
It was a lot of fun for me as well. As someone who spends a lot of time at race tracks, and this one in particular, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing our students lined up on the front stretch performing our country's #1 song. Judging by crowd response, I wasn't the only one who liked it.
This was the first public performance of the season, and something unique for our group. It was also the first time a marching band has performed the anthem at this track, and the first time that SPEED TV has had a marching band play the Anthem for one of their tapings. Hopefully, when the show is edited and shown, our group will get some well-deserved air time. As soon as a broadcast date is announced, we'll spread the word.
Thanks to the parents who enabled their kids to go, the bus drivers who didn't want to leave the race, Mr. Miller and Michael, and especially to our band members. Track owners Kevin & Tammy Gundaker greatly appreciated what you did last night.
In case you missed it, a video of last night's performance is available here on the 2009 Marching Band page. It's the first video to go up on the FH Bands Shutterfly site. Hopefully, there will be many more to come this season. Photos are up as well. Enjoy!
Blessings,
Val
Here we go again!
Well folks, here it is, the night before the first rehearsal of the 2009 Marching Band season! I don't know about anyone else, but I can't help but be excited!
It's hard to believe that my son is halfway through his high school years, and therefore his band career. The time has flown by! Each season, I do my best to savor the moments, and cherish as many as possible in my heart. Looking through the pages of our photo site helps a lot, and I am so grateful for all of the parents who give their time, energy and images to make this work.
To the new parents and band members, I bid you welcome! I hope that you will take a few minutes to look over the site and see what you have to look forward to in the coming months and years. I encourage anyone with a digital camera to register as a member so that you can share your photos with the rest of us. It's easy to do and I will be happy to help you with anything you need.
For those of you without a camera, or if you are a friend or family member that lives out of town and keeps up with your student via this site, remember that you can download photos, order prints and create lots of great things with the photos that are uploaded here. Neither the band, nor any of the photographers, make any money from the site, but if you participate in our scrip program, you can order Shutterfly gift cards and use them to pay for anything you order, which is kind of like paying a percentage back to yourself!
Returning boosters and band members, I look forward to the upcoming season with great anticipation. It's going to be a great year to be a Viking!
Blessings,
Valerie
A Heartfelt Thank You
Dear Valerie,
I want to express to you my most heartfelt thank you for all these beautiful, wonderful photos you have taken over the past year! I wish I could have been there for each of these competitions, but because of my family circumstances it was not possible. Still, I want you to know that I have looked forward to your postings and your photos and because of them, I have felt as if I have been able to enjoy each of these outings almost as if I had been able to be there. You have done a wonderful job with your beautiful photos and I want you to know how much it is appreciated.
Also to all the parents who have attended these trips and looked over their kids and those of others who, like me, couldn't be there, another big and heartfelt thank you! You are all amazing!
To the kids, wow, you are all so talented! I hope you realize just how good you are and how proud you have made us! May the joy of playing you have shown this year continue throughout your lives!
To Mr. Miller and Mr. Stewart thanks so much for your time and dedication, you make such a difference in your students' lives. This is a labor of love on the part of all here. Thanks for all you have contributed to the success of band and drumline!
Odette Rydel
A Million Miles from Home
Hi everyone! Greetings from the cold state of Wisconsin.
As most of you know, I am up here in support of my dear friend Spring while her husband is in the early stages of recovering from a skiing accident. Things are going well here, and Randy was moved out of ICU this afternoon. We're hoping to get him home to St. John's Mercy Rehab by the middle of next week.
I wanted to let everyone know that I really miss being there and I wish I was going to be back to see you off to Indy on Friday, but I'm not sure I'll get there quite in time. Please know that I wish you all the best and will be waiting to hear how you do. Knock 'em dead, Viking Drumline!
There is one thing I want to share with all of you, something I've learned this week and want to pass along: Never take the little things for granted! Every day that you can get up out of bed and embrace another day is a precious gift. The ability to move, to laugh, to march, to make music is something that you should never, ever treat lightly.
Each of you has a special gift, whether that is the instrument you play, or a knack for tinkering with cars, or the ability to solve complicated math problems, or the talent of baking tasty treats, or a combination of abilities. Use those gifts wisely and treasure them always. You never know how much you miss something or someone until they are taken from you.
Drumstruck
It's been a while since I have posted anything on here, including photos. Well at last, the photos from O'Fallon are up and ready for all the kids to start snagging for their Facebook pages. I love it that they enjoy the photos as much as I do.
Last weekend's performance was so much fun to watch. After working on props and uniforms for what seemed an eternity, and getting everything done just in time, it was rewarding to watch everything in action. Thank goodness we brought along extra Velcro and pins Saturday night! (Sorry about your finger, Katie!)
The kids have worked really hard on this show, and I know they are doing their best to have the third song finished before Rockwood. It will be a joy to see it all come together, but I know from last year that the show will continue to evolve right on through to the last time they perform it.
Watching this group of young people interact and perform together is such fun. They are a great bunch of kids. Here's to you, drumline. You leave me drumstruck!
The Winds of Change
Well, here we are. It's fall, we've set our clocks back and another Marching Band season has come and gone. Hard to believe, isn't it? Back in August, when the kids were sweating through all those practices, learning the steps and the music, it seemed like forever until the first performance.
Once that first competition was upon us, the rest of the season was non-stop activity. Between rehearsals and traveling, it seemed like we wrapped up one event just in time to prepare for another. The band came a long way over the months, and it was a blast watching the show from its infancy to the final performances at the Edward Jones Dome and Howell Stadium.
For the underclassmen, this is just a well-deserved break until next year. For the juniors, they are probably starting to realize that their performances are numbered. They may even be wishing they could slow time down just a bit and enjoy this time in their lives more.
Of course, for the seniors, and their parents, this time is bittersweet. You have performed your last show, taken your last band trip, and shed some tears along the way. It's hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly. You are in the throes of Senior Year: Making plans for college, or a career; thinking about who you want to include on your graduation invitation list; dreaming of prom and maybe waiting anxiously for ACT scores and college scholarship information. So much goes into getting our kids through high school, and senior year is such a whirlwind! Sometimes you have to stop, take a breath, and just try to live in the moment.
I hope that most of you were able to do that last Thursday. It was a very special evening and I know I'm not the only one who got choked up at the "Seniors Only" performance. A certain Band Director looked a bit misty too, and I can't blame him.
Getting to know this special bunch of kids is a privilige and an honor for all of us who are involved with the band. Each of them is unique, with their own special brand of humor and their own gifts. I have to say that I am grateful for the experience so far and I am thankful that my son is only a sophomore! I hope I can hang on to each moment.
My hope for each of you is that the photos that have been shared here help you to preserve the memories of your son or daughter and their marching band experience. I think I can safely speak for all of our Parent Paparazzi when I say that we wish each of you the very best in your future endeavors.
God bless you Class of 2009!
You Know You're a Band Parent When...
These have been running through my head all season, and it was finally time to put them down in print and share them with the rest of you. Lots of thanks to my awesome drummer son, Brenden for correcting me as needed. :)
Most of you can identify with at least some of these. Percussion parents will probably get more than the rest of you. If you have more to add (and I know you do!) PLEASE e-mail them to me or add in the Comments section.
You know you're a Band Parent when:
1. Finding drum sticks in the laundry hamper doesn't surprise you.
2. You have the music from "The Rudimental Cook Book" in your MP3 player.
3. Instead of humming along with your favorite eighties tune while doing the dishes/mowing the yard, you hum this season's marching show.
4. You know that Shirley Murphy is not a member of the band.
5. The number of black socks exceeds the number of white or colored socks you wash each week.
6. You trip over more than one pair of Chucks on your way out the door.
7. Instead of listening to the radio in the car, you listen to your son practice drumming.
8. You've ever had to tell your kid to quit drumming on the dash of the car.
9. You know that a Weber grill makes an interesting sound when hit with a drum stick.
10. Ralph Hardimon, Scott Johnson and Tom Aungst are on your payroll.
11. You don't worry when you see your son hugging other guys...a LOT of other guys.
12. There are enough drumsticks in the house to heat it for at least three days in case of a power outage this winter.
13. You can correctly match the last name to each of Brenden and The Brandons.
14. You don't look at making a purchase from the perspective of how much it will cost, but in how much you will "save" because of the amount that will go into your band account via the scrip program.
15. You know the real names of Gonzo, Spaz, Slappy, Chunk and New Kid.
16. You cringe at the site of a band store because you KNOW it's going to cost you.
17. Your son has three snare drums, and he calls each of them lovingly by its own name.
18. Your son falls asleep with drumsticks in his hands, traditional-style.
19. You have ever walked next to your kid at the mall, looked down, and realized you were marching in step with each other.
20. Your son asks you for another five-gallon bucket in which to store drumsticks.
Parent Paparazzi Performs Passionately!
If you haven't figured it out by now, I love photographing our band kids. Fortunately, I am not the only one!
Since things finally started working on the web site, several parents have begun adding their own photos, which is wonderful. I am so thankful for the support of these parents and their passion for what our kids do. My hat is off to all of them!
One of the best things about having various parents taking pictures is that we each tend to focus more energy on the section of the band where our own kids are located. If you didn't already know, mine's a percussionist (and yes, I know there is a special place in heaven for me!), which explains all the pictures of drums, pit equipment and all those crazy shots of rapidly flying sticks.
Now that other parents are able to share their photos with us, more of your kids will show up on the site. We all still take candid shots of them when they are not performing too, which sometimes make the best images of all.
And speaking of our kids, aren't they awesome? To go up against all of these much bigger bands and to finish as stongly as they did at Blue Springs was so rewarding. One of the things I heard from several of them was that the airgrams helped them loosen up and relax before their performance in finals. That was quite evident when watching them play. So I suggest we all bring a few extra bucks to Springfield and see if we can't do our part by sending an airgram. Mine's already written. :)
Whew!
Well, it looks as if this move to a new domain has done the trick. Yay! I just want to say thanks to all the parents who have so patiently waited for the situation to be resolved. Now that I am caught up with uploading my photos, I can sit back, relax and check out theirs!
We have some wonderful photographers in the group and I look forward to seeing all of the different perspectives everyone brings to the site.
Thank you again!
Val
Problem Solved! (I hope!)
Wow! After a month of trying to get things straightened out with the old site via Shutterfly's "help" desk, I have taken things into my own hands and started from scratch. Sorry for the inconvenience to everyone because of the new URL, but I got very tired of the fact that our members could not upload their own photos.
I have seen some of John Raney's photos, (excellent!) and I know that many other parents have great shots they would like to share with all of you, and I can barely get my own uploaded, let alone everyone else's, so it just makes sense that they should be able to do their own. Hopefully, this new location will allow everyone the ability to do that. I am holding my breath and waiting to see if it works!
If you have photos to share, please click on the link at the top of this page to request membership or stop me at a meeting or scrip pick up and give me your email address so I can add you. Just about everyone has a digital camera now, and it is so much fun to see all the pictures we take of our kids.
I'm glad you found your way here, and I will be working to make this as close to a duplicate of the old site as possible before it finally gets deleted.
Blessings,
Val
