Award Winning Colt Band

Award Winning Colt Band

As the bus carries the St. Ann Concert Band back to Bartlett from the Music in the Parks band competition in St. Louis, MO, I'm taking advantage of the bus WiFi to write my blog. The bus isn't just bringing home the Colt Band, it is bringing home the award winning Colt Band! After their best performance of the year, the Colt Band earned a 2nd place finish while receiving a rating of Excellent in the competition!

Getting Ready to Compete!

I have the opportunity of listening to our band perform every day because choir and band take place every day at St. Ann for the 5th-8th grade. And for the 6th-8th grade band members, they have been working with Mr. Baum at the end of the school day in the Extracurricular Exploration class. They have put in a lot of work and it has paid off. The students rose to the level of the competition and played beautifully. I'm super proud of our band students and the performance they gave. I'm looking forward to the spring concert on Thursday, May 2nd, at 6:30 at St. Ann Church. Both the band and choir will be performing at the spring concert. The concert is open to the public. Please join us.

Showing Off Our Trophy

Want to thank Mr. Ryan Cooper for stepping in at the last minute to accompany the band to St. Louis to fill in as conductor for John Baum. Mr. Baum decided he should have a mild stroke this week so that he wouldn't have to travel to St. Louis for the competition. Instead, he went to St. Francis for treatment. Fortunately, he was only there for one night and then back home. We are putting Mr. Baum on a diet and exercise regimen. We need him healthy and eating no more chocolate from the school office or drinking Mountain Dew; only water, carrot sicks and celery. That goes for me as well. We love Mr. Baum and don't want anything to happen to him. He is a shining jewel for SAS and our students. A healthy lifestyle begins tomorrow, but definitely not today.

Wonder Women, SAS Moms

Many of the band parents joined us on the trip, and had a wonderful time. We spent all day Saturday at Six Flags riding the rides. I believe many of the parents enjoyed Six Flags as much as the students did. Marquinet Hence, Lori Locke, Lauren Damore, Steve Sones, and Ryan Cooper rode just about every ride in the park besides the kiddie rides.

I rode the Batman, Ninja, Boomerang and Screamin' Eagle. That's when this old body of mine needed a break.  The Screamin' Eagle just flat-out beat me up. After that, I had to sit for awhile and recover. I spent the day at an amusement park and didn't eat a pronto pup, funnel cake, or turkey leg. That might actually be an un-American thing to do. Don't know what I was thinking. Think the rides scrambled my brains a bit. Need to make up for that at the St. Ann Fall Fest. Will there be turkey legs at the fall fest? Need to add that to the menu. Just sayin'.

Click to View 2020 Schedule

We are already planning the trip for next year. Mr. Cooper said that next year we will need two buses because the choir will also be going. Love it and cannot wait. We will shut down the middle school for the competition. I have already checked out the Music in the Parks locations and dates for 2020. I would like for St. Ann to participate in Music in the Parks at a different location every year so that our students have a different experience every year.

After Conquering the Ninja
(Looking a little green)

Mrs. Metaxas and the fifth graders went to Nashville. Mrs. Griffith and the sixth graders went to Discovery Park in Union City. The 7th graders went to the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, MS. The band went to St. Louis. The 8th graders will be going to Washington D.C. We are making plans for an even bigger and better 2019-20 school year. What I'm hoping to include is a mission trip for next year's 7th and 8th graders. I will start working on that this summer. Need to take our bowling team to compete somewhere fun. Coach Angotti and Coach Fillion, please start researching to find a tournament. I'm sure there is an elementary/middle school bowling tournament in Hawaii, Key West, or the Bahamas. Once again, just sayin'.

On another front, this week is ITBS/CoGAT/ACRE/easyCBM week!

A Photo Bombing Opportunity!

Yeah! Aren't we all excited?! Anyway, the students will be testing all week this week. We are moving the Rosary to Wednesday afternoon instead of the morning so that the morning will be used for testing. It is better to test in the morning than afternoon.

Friday's Colt-a-thon and field day will be a welcomed relief for everyone. This will be followed by the 7th/8th grade dance that evening. So, we have another action packed week of hard work and excitement ahead of us. Get fired up and excited. Be positive and energetic. Stay focused and attentive. This week will be an extremely worthwhile week for St. Ann as we continue to improve by giving our best effort. Let's get this done without anyone being a Drama Llama.

See you in morning!

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School