LH band to compete in annual marching assessment

PEARCY — The Lake Hamilton Power Band will compete in the annual Region 2 marching assessment at 8:30 a.m. today — and it will be the only band on the field.

Jon Shultz, Lake Hamilton School District director of bands, said it is the qualification event for the state marching contest.

“With COVID-19, it was decided that each school should compete at their own campus. There are several panels of judges that are traveling around the state to adjudicate the different bands,” he said.

The free event is only open to band parents and everyone must wear face- coverings and social distance, Shultz said, noting the safety rules are the same ones the district created for athletic events.

He said the theme for this year’s show is “Our Voice,” which is a reflection of the point and time in history.

“The students have helped create the narrative of the show. They wrote the words and phrases that are used throughout the entire production,” Shultz said.

He said this year has been difficult for the students, but they have worked very hard to persevere through the season. They have been very dedicated to each other and shown a resilience Shultz said he has never witnessed in an ensemble.

“The entire staff is so proud of them, ” he said.

The band, in terms of practices, games and competitions, has to have procedures for everything that they do, he said, noting it is difficult to find ways to social distance with this large of a group.

Shultz said band directors mark places in the band room for students to sit and stand and have stickers marked in the bleachers for them to sit at a game.

“They have special playing masks that they have to wear anytime they are not on the football field. They have worked very hard to follow all of the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas Activities Association,” he said.

“This year has been tough due to the setbacks and obstacles from COVID-19, but those have made our band stronger in the long run,” Hannah Papa, a senior band student, said.

“This show means so much to the students because it is dealing with real-life ideas that we have to face as young adults and help to find solutions too as we grow,” she said.