To the Editor:

How do I adequately express my gratitude to the students, parents, and educators (both past and present) who have made the Newtown Nighthawks Band & Guard the outstanding success it is today?

I begin by thanking the students who work so very hard to refine a show that begins as a rough sketch and ends as an illustration of musical talent and athletic precision. I thank the director, assistant director, drill instructor, and staff members who select the music, write the drill, and rehearse the Band & Guard.  Their dedication is a labor of love.

Then there are the band parents, volunteers who give 100 percent to make the organization run smoothly. Super volunteers, ten hut!  I know who you are:  board members, pit dads and moms, chaperones, Grasso Festival volunteers, truck drivers, fund-raising experts, photographers, Guard moms, uniform fitters, barbecue specialists.  Talk about love!  Talk about logistics!

I will never forget the hard work that went into those trips to competitions in Towson, Allentown, Hershey, Baltimore, Annapolis, and East Rutherford.  What a thrill to stand on the field at MetLife Stadium as a chaperone and look up and see the Band & Guard’s performance being shown on the big screen.  I am pleased to report I missed only one competition in seven years.

The Band & Guard orientation for the fall 2013 season will be held on Wednesday, June 12, at 7:00 pm at Newtown High School. Students in grade 8 and up and their parents are invited to attend to learn more about Band & Guard performance.  For those parents who are interested, it is true what we band parents say, “it is your last opportunity to be involved in your child’s extracurricular activity.”  I guarantee your heart will soar with pride when you see your son or daughter march onto the field with the Newtown Nighthawks Band & Guard as they take the field in competition.  Keep the tradition going and ring those bells!

Melinda Reynolds

19 Cemetery Road, Newtown                     May 14, 2013