Saturday, April 6, 2024, marked a historic day for the Dayton High School Indoor Percussion Program as they competed at Cypress Ranch High School for the Area Championships in the Texas Color Guard Circuit (TCGC).
The team’s impressive score of 78.8 secured them a 6th place in the Percussion Scholastic A Division, propelling them into the ranks of the Top 15 Percussion Programs in the State of Texas.
This achievement marks their 2nd consecutive year competing at TCGC State Championships.
Percussion Director Christian Castillo expressed gratitude to the Dayton ISD Administration, Band Directors, students, and staff for their unwavering support. Looking ahead to their next contest at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas, Castillo said, “Let’s show the State our Bronco Pride and we hope to see you at the State Championships!”
In other band news, members of the Dayton HS Band excelled at the Region 10 UIL concert and sight-reading evaluation on Wednesday, April 3, at West Brook HS in Beaumont.
The DHS Junior Varsity Band “B”, DHS Junior Varsity Band “A” and DHS Varsity Band all received unanimous first-division superior ratings for the concert evaluation, receiving further acclaim in the sight-reading portion of the evaluation as the Junior Varsity Band “A” and Varsity Band attained first-division/superior ratings, while the Junior Varsity Band “B” secured second-division/excellent ratings.
These ratings, combined with their earlier success at the UIL marching contest, culminated in the coveted UIL SWEEPSTAKES trophy for the Dayton HS band program.
In addition, Woodrow Wilson’s 7th grade Junior Varsity Band, 7th grade Varsity Band, 8th grade Junior Varsity Band and 8th grade Varsity Band were all awarded first-division/superior ratings in concert performance in March at Silsbee HS. The 7th grade Varsity Band, 8th grade JV Band and 8th grade Varsity Band all received first-division/superior ratings in sight reading performance while the 7th grade Junior Varsity Band received second-division/excellent ratings.
“Our students continue not only to meet but also surpass the expectations and standards set forth by the UIL and our dedicated band staff,” said Kevin Heckaman, Director of Bands for Dayton ISD. “We are extremely proud of our students and these accomplishments”.
Directors for the bands are Danny Williams, Caitlin Falcon, Byron Malone, Betty Woods, Chris Castillo and Kevin Heckaman.