61.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Pursuing Pride, on the field and in the bond vote
The Pride of Malverne, Malverne High School’s marching band, was the victor in the “Pursuit of Pride” marching band competition last Sunday at Malverne High School. Twelve marching bands from schools across New York State attended the competition.
It was the fourth year Malverne played host to the competition, which it has participated in since 2003. “Right now, the band is in second place in its division for the entire New York state conference,” said Lori O’Reilly, president of the Malverne Music Parents Association who has been involved for six years. “They have one competition per week up until Halloween and then they go to Syracuse for the national championship on October 30.” Malverne is in the “small school” division of the competition. Mineola High School came in second.
There are 135 students in the color guard and the marching band, O’Reilly said, a tribute to the allure and quality of the program. Since the Pride of Malverne began competing 13 years ago, the band has won 40 first place trophies, and three State Championships along the way. Earlier this year, the band was invited to perform at Disney World.
O’Reilly said she is excited about the upcoming bond vote, where district residents will vote on a $19 million bond that will add more space and resources for students participating in the performing arts and the STEM programs. “It’s so needed,” said O’Reilly. “We can’t fit in the facility we have right now – the band or the choir. The program has expanded so much.” She stated that more than a quarter of the students in the high school are involved in the marching band program, and nearly 100 are involved in the choir.
During the competition, Malverne performed “From Solstice to Equinox,” a celebration of the seasons with music selections that included “Open Space”, “Into the Joy of Spring”, “Novo Lenio”, and “Ride”.
Mineola High School, whose assistant band director is Malverne’s Zachary St. John, did a captivating presentation of “Poisoned,” which focused on a Snow White theme.
