I'm Stunned!

[iluvamystery89]

we had a pre-season bonfire last night for our HS football team. this is DD13's first year in the HS marching band, and DH and i were really looking forward to getting involved with the band booster club. a friend of mine told me at the bonfire that the HS DISBANDED the band boosters! OMG! i'm shocked and totally stunned! we've ALWAYS had band boosters. no one knew (or wouldn't say) what happened, but i strongly suspect there were some financial discrepancies, as the school has now taken over all income and expenditures concerning football concessions (the band boosters run the concession stands at the football games). my friend and her DH are now in charge of rounding up band parents to volunteer for everything, so i'm hoping that, if we have a good year money-wise, the HS will reconsider allowing band boosters. the kids are the ones who are going to suffer for this, as the band boosters handled everything band-related.

[SunshineGirl]

Oh, no! That is so sad. It definitely sounds like there was a really bad issue behind the scenes that no one wants to talk about.

[iluvamystery89]

i agree, tricia. i'm hoping to find out more at tonight's ballgame. so sad for our kids. our band director is very much a procrastinator, and REALLY unorganized, so we desperately need band boosters to keep things running smoothly.

[sammielynn]

I was a band booster for more years than I care to remember. But they were great years, and really helped the program, good Luck!

[Hedy]

we had a pre-season bonfire last night for our HS football team. this is DD13's first year in the HS marching band, and DH and i were really looking forward to getting involved with the band booster club. a friend of mine told me at the bonfire that the HS DISBANDED the band boosters! OMG! i'm shocked and totally stunned! we've ALWAYS had band boosters. no one knew (or wouldn't say) what happened, but i strongly suspect there were some financial discrepancies, as the school has now taken over all income and expenditures concerning football concessions (the band boosters run the concession stands at the football games). my friend and her DH are now in charge of rounding up band parents to volunteer for everything, so i'm hoping that, if we have a good year money-wise, the HS will reconsider allowing band boosters. the kids are the ones who are going to suffer for this, as the band boosters handled everything band-related.

Yikes! I still remember what our band boosters (which spread to all performing arts) did for us when I was in high school.

[iluvamystery89]

we're off to the ballgame in about 50 minutes. i'm hoping we're not short of volunteers tonight. DH and i will be working concessions for the 2nd half of the game, so we can see DD13 march for the first time at halftime! also on the upside, a dear friend that i haven't seen in well over 20 years has just moved back home, and is coming to the ballgame tonight with her DD!

if i get any scoop on what happened with the band boosters, i'll post when we get back home.

[iluvamystery89]

well, i didn't get any more info on the disbandment of the band boosters last night, but boy, did we work our butts off! DH and i worked the main concession stand for the 2nd half of the game, and OMG! people were in 3 lines at each window, 15-20 people deep at each one, and it didn't stop until about 2 minutes before the game ended!
we were absolutely wiped out when we got home last night, and i don't think i've ever been so sweaty and sticky in my entire life! my feet are STILL hurting, lol, and i had to literally peel off my jeans. alabama heat and humidity in august is awful! HS football season should start in october, lol.

[iluvamystery89]

i talked briefly with my friend who organized the concessions for thursday night's game, and she agreed with me that we need to have a band parents' meeting soon. she encouraged me to e-mail the band director and suggest it, so i did. we may not be able to meet at the band room, since we're not "official" band boosters, but we have other options and we need a way to organize volunteers for the concessions, and we need to decide on a band trip VERY soon, as this is our year for a big trip and it will be pricey.
our band did very well thursday night! they did so well, in fact, that the band director gave them friday afternoon off from band practice!

[iluvamystery89]

quick update:

the band director e-mailed me back and said we absolutely COULD be called band boosters and we could meet in the band room! so, i got together with him and my friend who is organizing the concessions, and set a band booster meeting date for this coming thursday, 9/8/11, at 6:00pm. we're going to set up sign-up sheets for concession volunteers, the band director is going to talk briefly about all of the "disbanding" talk and other rumors going around and give everyone the straight story, THEN we're going to discuss the spring band trip.

the band director would like to take the kids to chicago for the st. patrick's day parade (YUCK). we've also had someone mention washington D.C. and i, of course, suggested WDW. ironically, WDW would be cheapest, lol, so we'll see how it goes. we've got to make a decision, because we need to get prices and get the kids started saving up and fundraising.

ETA: oh, and our 2nd ballgame was friday night, and the kids did REALLY well! i told the band director how much i thought they'd improved since the week before, and he agreed with me he was so pleased! unfortunately, i hurt my right knee going up and down the concrete bleachers on the home side of the field to see the band march. BUT, i got to see my baby actually play her clarinet in her band uniform for the first time! i am SO proud of her!

[shmily1]

Wow! Do I remember those days! I miss DS21 being in the band as he didn't do it in college. I would sit there through anything so I could watch him play. One night, the band and football team were about the only ones that were there because the weather was so bad but there I sat on the bleachers soaking wet and waiting for him. If it was good enough for him to be in it, it was good enough for me. Now when I hear the band playing on Friday nights I'm a bawling mess!

Anyway, back to the story. I'm so glad you are getting this all worked out. We had a similar issue here, but instead of the band boosters getting disbanded because of the money, the band director got fired! There has also been hearings and other stuff after that, but the job was given to someone else in the end.

Good luck!! Enjoy seeing your DD on the filed. It ends way to soon.