WHS students at practice Thursday for the Memorial Day parade. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – This Memorial Day, Westfield band students from all the schools will be out in force and marching to the beat of new drums, thanks in part to a push from the elementary schools and a generous donation from Westfield Bank.
Westfield High School band director Patrick Kennedy said earlier this year he was approached by William Choe, band teacher for all of the elementary schools except Highland and Abner Gibbs, where Richard Pope is the music instructor. Choe was a freshman in Kennedy’s first band when he came to Westfield as a freshman teacher in 1997.
Choe approached him and asked, “What do we have for drum equipment? We need equipment for a band of up to 200 kids,” Kennedy said. They took an inventory, and found they didn’t have what they needed.
Kennedy approached James C. Hagan, president and chief executive officer of Westfield Bank, and told him about the situation. He said Hagan responded immediately with a donation of $5,000, which paid for 10 junior size snare drums with harnesses, 10 junior size bass drum with harnesses, and two triple tom sets with harnesses for the elementary schools.
Caroline Barcomb, Cole Jasmin, Avery St. Pierre and Chrispin Nifasha on bass drums with WHS logos. (Photo by Amy Porter)
The elementary schools will be marching with their new drums in the Memorial Day parade. A combined elementary band has been practicing every Monday night from 4-5:30 p.m. for the parade.
“It’s a return to excellence for our elementary kids, putting in the extra time outside of school,” Kennedy said, adding, “Will and Rich Pope have been doing a great job.”
“Then I got to thinking, what do we have for the middle schools? North Middle School was in pretty good shape, but South Middle School in rough shape,” Kennedy said.
He approached his band parents, led by fundraising coordinator Lisa Stawasz and they decided to raise money for new drums for the high school, and pass along their drums to South Middle School.
WHS students help display new elementary drums at “It’s Bandtastic.” (Photo submitted)
The band parents did what they always do. They held traditional fundraisers, such as selling pies at Thanksgiving from Lyman Orchards, butter braids at Easter time, and coffee and hot chocolate around the holidays that were imprinted with the Westfield High School band logo.
They also held Dine Out days once a month, in which restaurants donated a portion of their receipts to the band. “It’s a chance for the community to easily support us,” Stawasz said.
“I want to thank the local restaurants for their support,” Kennedy said.
They also received a surprise donation of $1,000 from the 104th Fighter Wing and the Thunderbolt Council. Stawasz said band kids volunteered at the Westfield International Air Show last summer.
WHS drum section with their new drums at practice on Thursday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Altogether, the band parents raised $5,000, which was matched by $5,000 the band raised from performances, enough for the new equipment at Westfield High School costing “just shy of $10,000,” Kennedy said. The drums were Pearl Championship Series professional marching drums, including five snare drums with harnesses, five bass drums with harnesses, and two quint toms with harnesses, all Pearl Championship Series professional marching drums. “These are cool because there are five drums, we had quad toms which only had four,” Kennedy said. The ones they donated to South Middle School are also Pearl drums, and the elementary drums are a new line from Pearl called the Junior Series.
“Almost every kid in the district has drums new to them,” Kennedy said.
The drums were first on display at “It’s Bandtastic,” which brought together bands from schools throughout the district at Westfield High School, where they performed individually and then as a multi-school collaboration. Kennedy said “It’s Bandtastic” is a chance for high school students to mentor younger band students.
The combined elementary band, WHS band and bands from both middle schools will also be marching with their new drums in the Memorial Day parade. The parade will begin at 10:00 AM at Mestek, then down North Elm Street, across the Great River Bridge onto Elm Street, continuing south to Broad Street, then right on West Silver Street to Parker Memorial Park for the Memorial Day ceremony. Following the Parker Park Ceremonies, American Legion Post 124 will march the route in reverse to the post home on Broad St, where additional ceremonies will be held.
“I’m always proud of our bands. It’s a proud day to be out in our community, and share the talent we have with the community to honor the veterans,” Kennedy said.
“A major part of our philosophy is supporting the community and honoring our veterans,” Kennedy added.
