A Shining Light

OCHS freshman honored with prestigious award at the Alamo Bowl

Article by Aundrea Koger

Over winter break, the OCHS marching band took a trip down to San Antonio, Texas, to play in the halftime show of the Alamo Bowl.  While there, the band experienced a multitude of emotions, ranging from excitement about the adventures at hand in San Antonio, to dread caused by persistent cold and rain.  Most notably though, the band experienced a feeling of pure, unadulterated, and for some, even tear-filled joy and pride in a fellow OCHS band member.

The evening before the Alamo Bowl, there was a banquet for all of the high school bands participating in the halftime performance.  The occasion was very characteristic of banquets, with a dinner served, speeches recited, and awards given.  And there was one award in particular that aroused a mutual feeling of surprise, followed by delight, amongst the members of the Osage City High School Band. The Spirit of the Alamo award is given to a student nominated by his/her band director that has demonstrated leadership, dedication, and positivity during the marching season. This year that award was given to none other than OCHS freshman, Justin Davis, a trumpet player for the Marching Indians, who was chosen out of the array of 1200 other band students from various high schools around the country.

At first, some may think that Davis received the award because of the challenges he must overcome on the marching field, due to his visual impairment.  But it is really Davis’s personality that sets him apart.  Not only does he work diligently to overcome his challenges, but he also strives to be just another inconspicuous member of the band, which is important in marching, as one of the main goals is to perform as a well-balanced unit, without any one member standing out from the rest.  “Even though he can’t see what he’s doing, he never wants to stick out,” said OCHS band director Mrs. Melissa Askren.  And this team-player mindset is not the only thing that makes Davis such a prime choice for the Spirit of the Alamo award.  No matter what, rain or shine, at an early morning rehearsal or seconds before performing at a marching competition, Davis always has an upbeat, “We’re going to rock this,” type of attitude that can spread throughout the whole band.  Even during the most dreadful practices he keeps fellow band members smiling with his sense of humor and words of encouragement, all while constantly working to improve his ability to march and play the show.

With Davis being such a shining light in the OCHS band, it’s no wonder his receipt of the Spirit of the Alamo award brought about such a strong emotional reaction from his fellow Marching Indians.  A cacophony of cheers erupted from the Osage City students when his name was called, and many of them couldn’t help but cry tears of joy and pride.  “When he won the award, the whole band was pretty much in tears.  It was a cool moment for everyone,” noted Askren. Davis, especially, was overjoyed by the honor, walking through the standing ovation and up to the stage with his trademark smile lighting up his face.  “I was really proud of what I did and really proud to receive the award,” expressed the well-deserving freshman.

Not only did Davis have a significant impact on the OCHS band, but his story even inspired other schools that attended the banquet, with Askren saying, “People were emailing me back about how amazing it was.”  And the whole situation truly was amazing.  Davis is a reminder that even when something is challenging, perseverance and a positive attitude can take someone further than they ever expected, and inspire others along the way.

San Antonio, Here We Come!

The OCHS band takes a trip to the Alamo Bowl

Article by Hannah Mondragon

Over winter break, the Osage City High School band took a trip to San Antonio, Texas. The students performed in the Alamo Bowl, played pep band, and got to explore a new environment in Texas.

The bus ride to San Antonio was about 12 hours, and it wasn’t much of a teenage party. Junior Brooklynn Milam was asked about the ride and said, “On the bus we watched movies, listened to music, and slept. Nothing really too special.”

When the students reached Texas, they joined approximately 1,200 other students there from 14 schools all over the country. The practices were four to six hours long with very few breaks. It was drizzling during rehearsal on the day before the performance, so the students went into a gym, practiced in a group, and then broke up into sectionals. Then on game day at the Alamo Bowl, the OCHS Marching Indians and their peers from around the country performed “Bruno Mars Medley.” But this wasn’t the only thing the students did in Texas.

During the trip, the students went to visit Natural Bridge Caverns and SeaWorld. They were also able to go to the mall and have a relaxing time, as well as see other sites around San Antonio. Some members, such as senior Samantha Smith, even made new friends on the trip.  “The [trip] was still good overall and even though I didn’t know anyone there, I met some new friends and I still talk to them regularly,” said Smith.

The band was able to pick five pep band songs to perform on the Riverwalk the day before the game. They chose Samba (during which they shouted, “Go, Wildcats!” instead of the usual, “Go, Indians!”), Hey Baby, Sail, and Shout it Out. Milam was asked about the OCHS band compared to the other bands and she said, “The other pep bands just played cadences and played their marching band music. On the other hand, the OCHS pep band did horn moves and we were a really peppy group. People were looking at us like we were from a different planet, but we had fun and that’s all that matters.”

The students were exhausted when they returned home, but they talked about the trip for weeks. The OCHS band got a wonderful opportunity to participate in the Alamo Bowl after all those long pep band performances to support OCHS throughout the year.

Now is the Time

The OCHS Marching Band Finishes a Successful Season

Article by Hannah Mondragon

Band has always been the pride and joy of Osage City High School.  Excellence has come to be expected out of the Marching Indians, and year after year, they deliver.  This year was no different.

The OCHS band participated in four marching competitions during its 2014 season and received 2 ratings across the board.  Despite not receiving any 1 ratings, band members worked hard this year, and they were competing against much larger 4A, 5A, and 6A bands at a majority of their competitions.  The members were pleased with how they performed their show, Now is the Time, which consisted of the songs “Old Time Rock and Roll,” by Bob Seger, “Good Time,” by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen, and the “Time Warp,” from Rocky Horror Picture Show.  And this year, simply gaining experience has been an important goal for the band.

The OCHS band has a large percentage of freshmen and sophomores compared to past years, so this year the band has been concentrating on gaining experience.  And they did exactly that, with Mrs. Melissa Askren, the band instructor, noting that there was much improvement from the first performance to the last.  Even though there will be quite a few seniors graduating, given a few years, the underclassmen will become a force to be reckoned with.  Junior Tate Brooks, a leader on the drum line, said, “I’ve gained more experience every time.”

The experience they’ve gained so far helped the Marching Indians finish their season strongly, and it will come to help them significantly this December when they perform at the the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.