Bearkat Band Earns Division 1 Rating at 79th Annual UIL Pigskin Jubilee and advances to the UIL Area Marching Contest to be held on October 30th in Calallen!
On Saturday, October 16th, Bands all across the Rio Grande Valley participated in the 79th Annual UIL Pigskin Jubilee Marching Contest. One year ago, the Bearkat Band was one of only three bands in the RGV to compete at Pigskin Jubilee. Now in 2021, 46 Valley bands are back to competition level!
The RECHS Band 2021 Production is entitled, “Believe,” with music by Journey, John Mackey and Lauren Daigle. Several talented students are featured during the crowd pleasing performance such as:
Drum Major, Rosemary Luna: “We went for the 1, we got it and we’re not going to stop there!”
Clarinet Soloist, Joel Cardenas: “I feel like we have really progressed throughout the year and we have really grown as a band. I look forward to the future and what is to come!”
Flute Soloist, Ava Cantu: “I was really proud of our Drum Major, Rosemary Luna, for leading us at Pigskin. I now hope our rookies see how much work it took to get to this point and I hope we all feel inspired to work towards Area and have an even better experience!”
Colorguard Captain, Andrea Jalomo: “I’ve seen the hard work and progress since Summer Band and I am very proud of the growth we’ve shown to get to Area. It made me cry with joy to see our band celebrating after earning a division 1 at Pigskin!”
UIL Judges were quick to compliment the band on their performance:
Erik Eaks, College Station ISD: “Really, really loved your show!”
Jim Egger, McAllen ISD (retired): “Really good show concept!”
Jeff Laird, Houston (retired): “I applaud you all for being here tonight and I want to congratulate you for all the hard work you’ve done to get back to this level of performance. Great work everybody!”
Head Band Director, Benjamin Keltner: “We are very proud of the work ethic and growth that our students have shown so far this season. It is our goal that we improve every week and Enjoy the Journey! It is truly amazing what these students are capable of and we are thrilled to see our kids succeed and represent the Raymondville community at such a high level!”
Thank you to our parents, School Board, RECHS principal Dr. Sandra Nieto, MGMS principal Raul Valdez, Deputy Superintendent Ben Clinton and Superintendent Stetson Roane.
Special thanks to all of the support staff, teachers and administrators for your efforts in making our band successful. Thank you to RPD, RISD PD, Raymondville FD and Chief Gutierrez for the special welcome back celebration!
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