Student Spotlight
Hobart High School junior Brian Corbeille has been chosen to be next year’s drum major for the Hobart High school band and orchestra. Corbeille has participated in band for nearly seven years. He plays alto saxophone and piano. Ever since Corbeille was a baby, his parents noticed an inclination to music and he has always enjoyed the musical side of life. Music is the biggest part of his life and he enjoys every second of learning new music and spending time with his fellow musicians.
Some of Corbeille’s most important accomplishments are lettering in band, going to Solo and Ensemble competition for five years, and earning "gold with distinction" at the state competition. He plans to major in music in college and to continue learning new instruments. Corbeille wants to go to Olivet Nazarene University for Music Education and become a high school band director just like his mentor, Mr.Dinkens.
In layman's terms, the drum major is the person who stands on the podium and conducts the band. They are essentially the "face of the band." The audition for drum major includes an application and interview with directors. Corbeille was nervous about the audition process, but he had high hopes. He is very excited to have received the position and cannot wait to see what the future holds.
Teacher Spotlight
This year Hobart High School has had the honor of welcoming a new band director, Brandon Dinkens. This is Dinkens’ first year at Hobart High School and he could not be more excited. As his first year comes to a close, Dinkens’ looks back on the year and smiles with satisfaction. The year has been full of many new accomplishments and memories that he will cherish forever. Dinkens has many jobs at the high school but somehow managed to get them all done with ease, although with a little stress.
Although this is not Dinkens’ first encounter in the teaching world, he still made this change with a smile on his face, excited to experience this new school and teach students how to love music. He also teaches how to play certain instruments and how to act when performing on stage in a group band. He gives students chances to try new positions and learn new songs. By the end of class, his students are always proud of themselves and cannot wait to come back after school for orchestra or jazz band.
This year is exciting for band students in general. Besides getting a new teacher and new conductor, they also got new marching band routines for football season. Dinkens is making new routines and getting the rights to new music for the band to perform at the football games.
What’s Coming Up?
With the school year quickly coming to a close, students new and old are eagerly anticipating the warm weather and beach trips, often forgetting that they still have finals and end-of-school activities. Although finals normally cause stress, this year seems to be different. Memorial Day lands on finals week and most people are not excited about that change.
They are excited, though, about end-of-school activities. For most big clubs and classes, the teachers host an end-of-year banquet and award ceremony to say goodbye to the seniors and elect new leadership positions. Auditions for next year’s athletic activities are also taking place.
Some students are anticipating four-week summer school, which is an excellent opportunity for people who are struggling in classes to redo the classes and get ahead. People are also using summer school to lighten their next school year or take a class they otherwise would not have the chance to take. Although this does shorten the summer for people involved, it makes everyone’s lives easier and even helps people socialize with their friends throughout the summer.
What Happened?
The sunny Saturday of May 4 was this year’s Junior and Senior Prom. This year, Prom was themed Around the World, to the surprise of many. Most people were convinced that the theme would be Star Wars, considering May 4 is known nationally as Star Wars Day (May the 4th Be With You). Still, the junior class managed to make this a truly magical night for everyone.
The banquet hall was beautifully decorated with Around the World décor. The food provided was fantastic; they served chicken, pasta, salad, and ice cream to every table, and there was even a special Gummy Bear area for snacking.
Students had a lovely time dancing with their friends and significant others. No one was afraid to bust out a move when their favorite song came on. Students enjoyed the free photo booth with props and pictures. A professional photographer provided more formal photos against a beautiful backdrop for students to order. Prom was an all-around success for everyone involved.