SCBDA Outstanding Performance Awards
Three middle schools and five high schools earned the Outstanding Performance Award (OPA) from the South Carolina Band Directors Association. The award is given to bands that demonstrate success in all aspects of their program. They earn points by performing highly in Marching Band Championships (high school only), Region and All-State Band placements, Concert Performance Assessment, and Solo and Ensemble.
Greenville County Schools earning the Outstanding Performance Award are Greer Middle, League Academy, Sterling School, Blue Ridge High, Mauldin High, Riverside High, Travelers Rest High, and Wade Hampton High.
Special congratulations to Sterling School and Wade Hampton High School bands for earning the OPA for the first time in school history.
“The Sterling School Band is ecstatic to have earned the Outstanding Performance Award for the first time in the school’s history,” said Music and Band Director Ashleigh Ledford. “The students have worked extremely hard to achieve this prestigious award for the school, logging many hours of practice, attentiveness, and earning chairs in Region and All State Band all contributed to this wonderful honor.”
She continued, “Students also earned an amazing 24 Superiors in the Solo and Ensemble Competition. In earning the Outstanding Performance Award, my students achieved the maximum number of points in each category making this honor even more fantastic. I am honored to have the privilege of teaching these extremely talented and gifted students and am extremely proud of our Griffins!”
“We at Wade Hampton are thrilled to receive the Outstanding Performance Award for the first time in school history,” said AJ Pace, Wade Hampton High Band Director. “The students have worked tirelessly all year in every aspect of our program to achieve such an incredible milestone. We began with weeks of band camp before the school year started, and continue working incredibly hard all the way through our last performance at graduation.”
Pace is proud of the accomplishments of his students, adding, “We made the SCBDA AAAA State Marching Band Championship Finals for the second year in a row, we had several students make All-State, All-Region, and All-County bands, we received a Superior with Distinction at the South Carolina Performance Assessment. We also had several students receive Superior Ratings at the South Carolina Solo and Ensemble Festival. Through hard work, discipline, and respect, our students achieved these wonderful milestones in our rapidly growing program. Our students have built a strong bond with one another and truly treat each other like a family. I am incredibly proud of the students at Wade Hampton and I am confident their future is bright!”
