Band recognition

Dear Editor:I completely agree with Teresa Carroza in that the Downey High (and Warren High) bands deserve more recognition. As a Downey High teacher, I see the hours that our band spends on campus practicing for pep rallies, assemblies, sporting events and competitions. I believe the band spends more time on campus than any other school organization. Sometimes I joke that the band "lives" on campus. Under the direction of Mr. Fell and Mr. Olariu, the Downey band has achieved new success this year and made it to Championships for the first time, placing a respectful 9th. At the same time, I was saddened to hear that some band students and parents feel underappreciated, and I did not like the fact that the football team and head coach receive some of the blame for this. This criticism was supposedly "know(n) for a fact" to be accurate yet it was not. The CIF championship game was prescheduled by CIF for Saturday, Dec. 1, months in advance. However, the Downey High principal, athletic director and football coach contacted CIF and asked that the game be changed to Friday, Nov. 30, as they knew the band had its championship on Saturday. Unfortunately, due to stadium reservations and televisions broadcasts, CIF denied this date change. To state that "for a fact" the football coach only cares about football is untrue and insulting. At the conclusion of every single football game this year, the first thing the football team did after shaking the opposing team's hands was run to the band to sing the school alma mater. The football coach and team have great respect and gratitude for the school band, and no parent should disparage any school organization. So while it is true that the city's bands deserve more recognition, this should not be done while putting down others. Teresa Hill Downey

********** Published: December 27, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 37