18 JANUARY 2022 By Rachael Bouley There was no shortage of highlights for the Spirit of Arcadia Marching Band this season, from winning their first show and carrying that lead throughout the fall to performing at the SUSD Marching Band Exhibition hosted at Arcadia High School. These efforts helped the group go all the way in its competitive circuits, the Arizona Marching Band Association (AZMBA) and the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA) State Championships – winning both for the eighth year in 2021. Arcadia High Band Director Jan Gardner said going undefeated was fantastic for everyone involved. The band members kept improving and ultimately saved their best performance for last to win the state championship. “It is reassuring to know that the directors and staff are teaching the students well and giving them the tools to be successful, which allows them to accomplish their performance and competition goals,” Gardner said. Gardner revealed that the best part is watching the final product come to fruition throughout the season and seeing the students grow and mature as musicians and people. The band’s 2021 competitive show, titled “Skylines,” is an original work written for marching band, composed by Gary P. Gilroy, Shawn Glyde and Nate Bourg. AHS had three different visual skyline props representing music and movement on a New York City morning, Chicago afternoon and Los Angeles evening. The winning performance was months in the making as the group started learning the new routine in the spring and kept practicing throughout the summer. Daily rehearsals started at band camp a few weeks before the school year and continued with early morning practices throughout the week. “At band camp, we start working on marching techniques and basics, which involves a lot of physical preparation to adapt to the physical demands of marching and performing, especially in the Arizona heat,” Gardner added. Once they completed the show’s outline at the end of September, the 39 performers across winds, percussion, drum majors, and color guard spent the rest of the season enhancing their performance based on the judge’s feedback. The band stayed busy with football games, pep assemblies, and competitions, so they were ready when it came time for the championships. Having moved into AZMBA’s 1A class and ABODA’s Div. IV, Arcadia participated in both state championships on the weekends leading to Thanksgiving. After earning two first-place state finishes, the champions said that they are proud of their incredible school spirit, which wouldn’t be the same without the overwhelming support from the school community. “We had amazing help from parents, loading and unloading our equipment trucks and providing us with lunch every Saturday so the students could focus and do their best,” Gardner said. “The marching band is one of the most visible musical ensembles on campus and can unite everyone and create a sense of pride in the school community when playing the Fight Song, pep music and National Anthem.” Spirit of Arcadia Marching Band wins eighth championship By Mallory Gleich The students on Arcadia High’s Speech and Debate squad have a reason to celebrate as they head to the District Qualifying tournament in March 2022. Team members compete in 10 to 20 tournaments per year. There is an Arizona competition, Division 1, and Division 2 tournament. Arcadia participates in Division 1, which is a two-day event. The top teams from that event will represent Arizona in the National Tournament. “We have 20 kids on our roster,” said Speech and Debate Coach Clayton Guy. “They are excited to compete!” Guy has been the coach for eight years and explained that topics change monthly. December’s Lincoln Douglas [a form of debate where one person versus another person] topic was “Resolved: A just government ought to recognize an unconditional right of workers to strike.” The Public Forum [teams of two] topic was “Resolved: Increased United States federal regulation of cryptocurrency transactions and assets will produce more benefits than harms.” There is a set format, rules, judges and requirements for debate and speech. Each round takes about 45 minutes and most first nights of competition have four rounds. “We attend 10 in-person events in Arizona,” Guy said. “Each tournament has their number of rounds, quarters, semis and finals – if any, and they can be two or three days long.” Guy explained that a debater or team needs to win seven (or eight for larger tournaments) rounds during a match to succeed. “The same will happen at our state tournament. All schools participate, and then the teams will have seven or eight rounds if they keep winning,” he said. At the State and District qualifying tournaments, 30 to 50 Arizona schools will participate. “We are delighted to be attending finals. We have been able to build a great bond with new members and have been blessed with great talent,” junior member Trex Jones said. “This year, we have competed like never before. We are excited to show our community how hard we have been working and hopefully bring a trophy home to Arcadia.” There will be over 30 event types at the competition – five different debate subjects and 10+ speech events. Topics are chosen among board members and announced closer to the tournament. “This is the best we have done in Nationals. We feel good about our future. My goal is to help the team succeed in winning, participating, or learning. It’s to have the team grow and have fun,” Guy said. AHS Speech and Debate on their way to finals Junior Drum Major Lucy Kores, Senior Drum Major Elsa Steen Koppell and Color Guard Captain Jessica Pusa. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAN GARDNER 602.399.8540 debbiefrazelle.com dfrazelle@cox.net PAST ARCADIA PTO VP PAST HOPI PTA PRESIDENT ARCADIA RESIDENT FOR OVER 30 YEARS Top 1% of Coldwell Banker Agents Debbie Frazelle | CLHMS | ABR I have 4 different buyers who grew up in Arcadia and have recently moved back home. They are looking for ranch style homes up to 1.2 million in Arcadia Lite, Arcadia, Biltmore or Camelback Corridor. Now is the time to sell! Please give me a call, text, or email. I can make the transaction easy for you. got houses?

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