Marching to the Beat of Things

The marching season began with a bang! The band showed off their music and marching abilities at a number of football games and in several parades, however, they weren’t really tested until much later when they competed in their first competition of the year. On October 6, the band traveled to Elkins to compete in the Mountain State Forest Festival parade and field show competitions. Proving that hard work pays off, they brought home three trophies in the following categories: Best Drum Major, Best Drumline, and Best Auxiliary. Representing the school to accept the awards were the senior section leaders, dance team members, and the band director. Upcoming band activities include the Clarksburg Veteran’s Day Parade on November 12, the Nutter Fort Christmas Parade on November 16, and the Clarksburg Christmas Parade on November 30. The band is also scheduled to perform at Washington-Irving Middle School, Norwood Elementary, and Nutter Fort Primary and Intermediate Schools on December 14. Financing the band costs a lot of money, however, and they had to sponsor many fundraisers in order to remain operational. Some fundraisers the band has planned for the holiday season include a Sarris Candy sale that is on until November 7, a holiday craft show that will take place on November 10, a Vera Bradley purse bingo that will take place on November 24, and a holiday pie sale scheduled for sometime before winter break. With a Christmas concert scheduled for December 4 and the fast approach of concert season, the band has began to focus more on concert band music and a symphonic sound in preparation for the spring concert and Band Festival, where they will be judged on two concert pieces.

The Robert C Byrd Marching Band

    The Robert C. Byrd Marching Band kicked off the year July 23rd with three weeks of field show, parade, and musical rehearsal. The percussion began the first week, having tryouts and learning their instrument’s cadence parts. On the second week, all band members joined to prepare their competition field show and rehearse for the parades.

     To add fun and build a welcoming atmosphere, the members participated in spirit activities such as Duct Tape Day, Decade Day, Superhero Day, and Flag Day. Freshman loved the spirit days. "It was so much fun. I bonded with the other drummers and it made me feel like I was really apart of the band," commented Freshman Josh Longerbeam.

     The band has 75 members, 16 of which are seniors. The dance team is composed of 11 members, 3 of which are seniors. The band and dance team are led by Senior Drum Major Ronnie Johnson. The drumline is led by Senior Drum Captain Zac Clevenger.

     The theme of the band’s field show is MP3 Shuffle. It includes the songs "Animal" by Neon Trees, "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz, "4 Minutes" by Madonna and Justin Timberlake, "All the Small Things" by Blink-182, and also a solo by the drumline. They perform the field show during half time of all of the home football games and the Bridgeport and North Marion away games.

      Drum Major Ronnie Johnson enjoys leading the band in front of his fellow Byrd fans. "I cherish every performance in front of the RCB fans. I love knowing the band I conduct excites and provides spirit to the fans. The experience is amazing, and I’m proud to lead this band," remarked Johnson.

     The band not only prepares a field show, but a march which they perform during parades. They will be marching in four local parades and one in Elkins, WV, at the Mountain State Forest Festival. The band’s march and field show will compete with other bands in the state and judged by professionals. The also perform their field show at the Liberty Band Spectacular at Hite Field and the Fairmont Band Spectacular at East-West Stadium in Fairmont. Later in the school year, the band will be judged on two symphonic pieces at the Band Festival held at Bridgeport High School, and the dance team will compete in various competitions.

     The Band and Dance Team are conducted and coached by Mr.Grubb, Mr.Friend, and Mrs.Marozzi, respectively. Kyndra Lantz

Directing Hallway Traffic

     Introduced last year, neon vests are now used as hall passes. Gone are the days where students carried lanyards, and in their place are bright yellow vests that allow teachers to know if a student is supposed to be in the hallway or not.

     Each classroom now has a vest with the room number written on it, and a clipboard for students to sign out on. While students may view this as a hassle, teachers find it to be very helpful; keeping track of their students is extremely important.

     While it may take a couple months to adjust to this new system, students and teachers will find it to be an interesting experience. Eventually, students will find the vests to be as natural to carry as the lanyards were. Aimee Gallo

Freshman Class Elections

     The 2012-2013 Freshman Class came in this year with no class officers. They held an election complete with speeches, signs, and campaigning. On Monday August 27, 2012, the freshman candidates hung their posters in the elevator lobby. There were many unique and colorful posters made by the candidates.
     They presented their speeches on Wednesday during freshmen homeroom time. All freshmen voted in their homerooms on Friday and the results were tallied shortly after. The new officers include: President Justin Welling, Vice President Elisa Schwartzmiller, Treasurer Samantha Hines, and Secretary Sarah Grace Reed. Shannon Cunningham

Touchdowns at RCB

    During our four years of high school there are moments that are unforgettable: your first day of freshmen year, the lead in a school play and a late night football game. Cheering on your school team is always a fun memorable experience for all students. This season the Mighty Flying Eagles Football Team prevailed against Fairmont Senior on Friday, August 24,marking our first win.

    Senior Varsity Football Player Jermodd Garrett remarked that his favorite thing about football is hitting. He explained that the team’s biggest goal this season is to achieve a state title. Garrett stated he feels the Eagles have a pretty good chance at State Championship this year. He suggests to the freshmen football players, "Just sick with it. Don’t give up; just stick with it," he reiterated.

    The great win on Thursday August 30 against Liberty was an experience to witness. Jermodd added, "It was a good game, but the guys struggled mentally a little through the second quarter." This was followed by a smashing win over the Lincoln Cougars on September 7.On September 14 the Eagles eperienced their first loss this season against Bridgeport. With three wins under their belts the Eagles are prepared to defeat the Grafton Bearcats. Caitlyn Mcintyre

Cross Country at RCB

     Though some people might say that RCB has an unusually small Cross Country Team, they are actually six times larger than last year. Then, Freshman Austen Zorick, was the only member. This year, they’re up to six runners, including Cassidy Oliverio, Autumn Barnhart, Catherine Fox, Sarah Grace Reed, and John Lowther.

     Though the team has grown, they still aren’t large enough to compete as a team. They all run for individual places at their meets, though Coach Chad Feathers trains them as a group.  Junior Catherine Fox said, "We have a great team. We all get along and push each other. We have a lot of tough practices but they really help".

     They seem to be all set to have a great season. In Zorick’s first race he placed 20th out of 244 runners. When asked about his goals for the season, he said, "My goal is to make it to States." Sadie Janes

The Future Farmers of America

     "Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve." That’s the motto of the recently adopted Future Farmers of America program. It started off slowly with only 60-70 students. Now, RCB has over 150 students enrolled in FFA based classes.

RCB offers the following FFA based classes: Agriculture, Horticulture, Greenhouse Production, and Leadership. If any students are interested in being in the leadership class, there are still open seats during second homeroom. However, if any student was enrolled in FFA based classes last year, their SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) from the previous year is still required. Please submit the records to Miss Milliken by January 15, 2013.

     There are plenty of upcoming events for FFA members; the national FFA convention is approaching very soon and the greenhouse shall be done by second semester. When it is completed RCB will be participating in the FARM TO SCHOOL program. Also, to all FFA members, there are still two open officer positions: Sentinel and Vice President. Shallyn Cochran