Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes Editor With the smell of eggs in the air, band students filed into the dining hall of the United Methodist Church. They waited in line for muffins, breakfast casserole and fruit at the time practice usually starts around 7:15 in the morning. All of this to celebrate a very successful season for the Panther Marching Band, this year is known as The Children of Apollo.
Panther Marching Band Director, Jim DePriest handed out silly awards and read made-up biographies of the future lives of graduating seniors. They had fun reminiscing and laughing with each other after a phenomenal marching band season. During this season the band won their 32nd consecutive division 1 ranking at the state marching band competition in Muscatine. They earned first place in division 4A at the Clark County competition with caption awards for best color guard, percussion, and drum majors in division 4A with awards for best color guard and drum major overall. At the Monroe City competition, they won 2nd in class 4a. They also won awards for best visuals and color guard, 1st place indoor drumline, 2nd place parade, and 2nd place indoor color guard. Finally, at the Linn Mar competition, they won 6th place in 3A and an award for the best color guard. To celebrate an amazing season and a spectacular show Mr. DePreist, the band director, is sending a few things to NASA. Those include a community photo taken after All Bands Night, a copy of the music Mr. DePreist wrote, and a copy of the Clark County competition results. During All Bands Night, Mr. DePriest described the show and how it was developed and the ideas behind it. According to DePreist the main idea for this years’ show came from the words spoken by President John F. Kennedy at his inauguration, “Let the word go forth that the torch has been passed to a new generation born in this century, tempered by war and disciplined by peace.” These words were spoken to Mr. D’s Father’s generation and according to DePreist, it is time to pass the torch to a new generation. Mr. DePreist emphasized that we are “Only limited by the depth of our imagination and the length of our determination.” DePreist not only wanted to do the show to commemorate the moon landing, fifty years ago but to show how much our community aided in the moon landing and the space race. He cited a few examples. One included Dr. James VanAllen who graduated from MPCHS as valedictorian and his knowledge of the radiation belts that helped Apollo missions safely navigate to the moon. He also talked about astronaut Peggy Winston, the first female commander of the International Space Station, who graduated from Iowa Wesleyan University. The show comes to an end, The Children of Apollo are done for the year, and the practice fields lie bare. Although this doesn’t spell the end to the music; the Jazz, Symphonic and Concert bands are already warming up for their winter concert in December.
1 Comment
11/2/2019 04:08:56 pm
What a wonderful commitment to our community and the awesome way that Mr. & Mrs. DePriest have given to our students. What a blessing you are, the dedication and understanding is so obvious and makes my heart sing. Thank you and God Bless you.
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November 2020
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