Granite City band needs $50K for ‘once in a lifetime’ trip to NFL parade

Granite City’s Marching Warriors have an invitation to the NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement parade, if only they can come up with the $50,000 for the trip.

The National Football League has invited Granite City High School’s band, possibly because Granite City native Kevin Greene is being inducted. Greene played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers, among others.

The 165 band members would need to take three charter buses, said Wyatt Roberds, director of bands. The band would need to stay in Canton, Ohio, for two nights.

The band already does a number of fundraisers just to compete in regular band competitions, including one in early April in Nashville.

“The students are already paying about $500 for that trip, over three-quarters (of the band are going),” Roberds said. “But we have literally a fundraiser if not two every month, year round.”

The band has a GoFundMe page, and Roberds says he has sent a letter to several companies in the area asking for donations. As of Monday, the GoFundMe page had more than $5,500 of the roughly $50,000 needed to take every child on the trip at no cost to them.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a once in a lifetime thing,” Roberds said.

Music awards

Students from Saints Peter and Paul School, of Collinsville, earned at least a second rating on each of the 20 events entered at the Illinois Grade School Music Association District Solo and Ensemble Contest at Coolidge Middle School in Granite City on March 12. They were: Hannah Goodwin, first ratings on piccolo solo, flute solo and flute duet; Anna Falbe, first rating on piano solo, flute solo and flute duet; Melodie Pacewic and Ava Tidball, first rating on flute solo and first superior rating on flute duet; Lainey Bolandis, first rating on flute solo and flute/saxophone duet; Jordan Spagna and Joshua Zagorski, first rating on clarinet duet; Lily Jurgena, first rating on saxophone solo and flute/saxophone duet; Devon Silhavey, first rating on trumpet solo; Matthew Falbe, first rating on piano solo and second rating on trumpet solo; Wyatt Biermann, first rating on snare drum solo and first superior rating on snare drum duet; Lucy Montgomery, first superior rating on snare drum solo and snare drum duet; and Paul Falbe and Katie Bone, first rating on piano solo.

Road sign honors team’s win

State Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton, and Waterloo Mayor Tom Smith presented the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School, of Waterloo, baseball team with a road sign on March 10. It honors the team’s 2015 Southern Illinois Junior High School Athletic Association Class S Championship.

“Participating in athletics helps teach our young people vital skills such as sportsmanship, responsibility and pride in their teams and schools,” Costello said. “I want to congratulate the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School baseball team for a great season and for giving their classmates and community another excellent reason to be proud.”

WYSE teams

Nearly 300 students competed from 33 southwestern Illinois high schools in the sectional tournament of the 2016 Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Academic Challenge, held on March 14 at McKendree University. The top school teams in each of four divisions, based on enrollment size included Edwardsville High School and Gibault Catholic School in Waterloo.

Students competed in biology, computer science, chemistry, English, engineering graphics, math and physics. They competed both individually and as part of a team. The two top teams from each of the four divisions, and the two top individuals in each subject, will advance to the state finals at the University of Illinois in April to compete in the state championship.

Teams advancing to state are Gibault Catholic, Okawville, Nashville Community, Freeburg, Waterloo, Edwardsville and O’Fallon Township high schools.

▪  In all divisions, state qualifiers in biology are: Gibault Catholic’s Fei Yang, Jeff Demond and Abby Mueller; Wesclin’s Abby Becherer, Mascoutah’s Kristina Springer, O’Fallon Township’s Annie Roberts and Zoe Weld, and Mascoutah’s Kristina Springer.

▪  In all divisions, state qualifiers in chemistry are: Okawville’s Jordan Oakley, Lebanon’s Brianna Andrews, Freeburg’s Alex Berowski, Wesclin’s Ethan Huff, Waterloo’s Joseph Irovic, Mascoutah’s Sarah Culp, Edwardsville’s Caroline Kaminsky, Matthew Morse, Alyssa Voepel and O’Fallon Township’s Jeonghu Park.

▪  In all divisions, state qualifiers in computer science are: Gibault’s Connor Meehan, Central Community’s Danny Foster, Red Bud’s Jared Pfannebecker, Freeburg’s Michael Schmitt, Mascoutah’s Josh Breckel, Waterloo’s Amy Zhao and Edwardsville’s Jeff Schulz.

▪  In all divisions, state qualifiers in engineering graphics are: Red Bud’s Alex Becker and Jared Pfannebecker, Highland’s Brett Brown, Edwardsville’s Cale Ambuehl and O’Fallon Township’s Hunter Boswell.

▪  In all divisions, state qualifiers in English are: Wesclin’s Ethan Huff, Freeburg’s Joe Schlarman, Waterloo’s Heather Elliott, and Edwardville’s Gwyneth Cross and Amanda Schmidt.

▪  In all divisions, state qualifiers in math are: Waterloo’s Heather Elliott, Edwardsville’s Maggie Anderson and O’Fallon Township’s Jack Erhardt.

▪  In all divisions, state qualifiers in physics are: Gibault’s Lauren Schmidt, Wesclin’s Zach Stegman, Columbia’s Joshua Thompson, Traid’s Andrew Huckla and Jason Dempsey, and Edwardsville’s Pradeep Kandula and Maggie Anderson.

Drive away hunger

Belleville has kicked off its ninth annual “Drive Away Hunger.” Belleville schools are collecting food items at Belleville District 118 schools through April 5, and food will go to Interfaith-St. Paul’s, St. Vincent de Paul Cathedral, Union United Methodist and St. George/St. Mark’s food pantries. For suggested donation items and more information, go to http://bellevillechamber.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Drive-Away-Hunger-Sign-Up-Flier_2016-item-list.pdf

Congressional art

U.S. Representative Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, is accepting artwork from high school students in the 13th Congressional District for the 2016 Congressional Art Competition. Winner’s artwork hangs in the U.S. Capitol.

Submissions need to be in Davis’ district offices by 5 p.m. April 7. That art will be on display from April 11 to April 15 at the Decatur Arts Council, where a panel of judges will decide the winner. For more information, go to www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/ or call 217-403-4690.

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, will host an annual ceremony for the 53 entries submitted in his district on Thursday at Southwestern Illinois College. The awards reception will start at 6 p.m. in the Schmidt Art Center at 2500 Carlyle Avenue in Belleville and is open to the public.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Granite City band needs $50K for ‘once in a lifetime’ trip to NFL parade."