WESTFIELD – The Westfield High School Band, under the direction of Patrick Kennedy, recently traveled to Ohio on their spring trip.
Highlights of this trip included a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and performances at the Cedar Point Music in the Parks Festival.
With the approval of the Westfield Public Schools Administration and School Committee for this trip, Kennedy met with Carl Hawk from Your Partners in Travel and they began planning out the trip together.
The Westfield High School Band Parents did a wonderful job organizing fundraisers to defray the trip costs and also in chaperoning the trip, along with Kennedy, Hawk and WHS Assistant Band Director Joel Whalen.
At the festival the band received Superior Ratings in every category, which is the highest possible rating.
The WHS Marching Band, Concert Band and Jazz Combo were awarded first place in their respective categories, with the Jazz Ensemble receiving a second place award.
Senior WHS Band members Dan Hickson and John Kiefer were recognized for excellence with the Festival’s Outstanding Musician Award.
On top of all of these accolades, the Westfield High School band also were recognized for their positive attitude, behavior and personality with the coveted Esprit de Corps Award—awarded to the one group at the festival that best displays these positive attributes.
The WHS Band, known as The Sound of Bomber Pride, has once again represented their school and community with the highest level of dedication – both on and off the stage.
While the school year is winding down there are still opportunities to see the WHS Band perform. They will be at both the Westfield Voc-Tech and WHS graduation ceremonies and the Jazz Ensemble will perform at the Amelia Park as part of their Summer Concert Series on Tuesday, June 16.
