A modern look
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 1 month AGO
The Quincy High School band hasn't had new formal uniforms since the late 1980s - more than three decades ago - but a recent donation from the Quincy Music Boosters in conjunction with a Washington Music Educators Association grant will bring them up with the times soon. Above, the band performs in informal dress rather than the current formal uniform which features a frilled shirt and a jacket in the school's colors.
COURTESY PHOTO/QHS
Quincy School District director of bands Devan Chandler updates the Quincy School Board on donations that will allow Quincy High School to purchase new band uniforms.
The current formal uniform for the Quincy High School Band is a bit outdated, though colorful. Efforts in the community have led to the school being able to purchase new uniforms.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 17, 2023 1:30 AM
QUINCY — The Quincy High School band will be getting new uniforms with the help of a donation from the Quincy Music Boosters and a grant from the Washington Music Educators Association.
Devan Chandler, the district’s director of bands, said it had been a while since the uniforms were replaced.
“If you were wondering, the last time a uniform purchase was made to my knowledge was 1988,” Chandler said. “So we are overdue.”
Quincy School Board members approved the donation from the music boosters club during their regular meeting Tuesday.
Chandler said delivery of the new uniforms is scheduled for fall 2023.
“(The design) should be timeless and last us, potentially, 20 years,” she said.
The music boosters donated about $15,000, Chandler said, and the district also received a $6,000 grant from the WMEA.
“The purchase could not be possible without the teamwork of students, community members, parents and teachers to fundraise,” Chandler said.
Quincy music students sold baked potatoes at home basketball games and washed cars throughout the summer. Music teachers partnered with the Wenatchee Wild hockey team and Cave B Winery, Quincy, on fundraisers, she said.
“With this uniform purchase a higher caliber and more competitive edge is brought to the band program, and we plan to show off our new uniforms at more parades, festivals and exhibitions in the future,” Chandler said.
Chandler included an update on the band’s activities through the first five and a half months of school.
“It’s really just another chance for me to brag about some of these wonderful musicians I get to work with every day,” she said.
“We’ve had football pep band, assembly performances, formal concerts, solo and ensemble competition and many basketball games,” she told board members. “(The band) will continue into the even busier season this spring with concerts, recruitment, parades and field trips.”
Chandler expressed appreciation to district officials, including Quincy Superintendent Nik Bergman and district Finance Director Tia Stoddard, for their support of the project.
“Thank you to the music boosters and the school district for your belief in and support of the arts,” she said.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
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