Saturday, Dec. 1 was an important day for members of our Spartan Band program. 15 students participated in the All State Honor Band auditions at Hickman High School in Columbia, MO, where they represented FHC. Students from our school achieved Honor Band Alternate, Honor Band Honorable Mention, and one student was named to the All State Honor Band.

Senior Laurel Ammond, who plays french horn, was named All State for the second year in a row.

“I kind of was really relieved [when I found out],” Ammond said. “I didn’t want to make it a one year experience. I was really, really ecstatic. I cried a lot.”

Besides her achievement, several other students were recognized for their skill and talent.

For Nick Moore, a junior, he was named an Honor Band Alternate for percussion. Like Ammond, he was excited when he received this honor.

“It means a whole lot [to me], because I’ve auditioned three times for this,” Moore explained. “Getting to be an Alternate is a big honor.”

Moore even has hopes for what this honor might mean for auditioning for All State in the future.

“Hopefully next year this means that I can maybe make the actual band,” Moore said.

Even being named an Honorable Mention is a big achievement. Junior Vanessa Luan was named an Honorable Mention for flute at this year’s All State auditions.

“It’s a really big milestone,” Luan said. “Specifically for flute, it’s pretty competitive. There’s more than 150 really talented flute players from across the state that gather there.”
And and just like Ammond and Moore, Luan was happy with the results.

“[When I found out] I was really happy. I just felt proud of myself.”

Besides Ammond, Moore, and Luan, senior Kobi Nolan was also named a Jazz Alternate on Vibes.

Ammond will represent FHC in the Honor Bands concert in January down at the Lake of the Ozarks.