Sweet! Hot! Jazz! –A Sweet Success

An estimated 500, in addition to the 80 students in the jazz bands, attended Sweet! Hot! Jazz!. The event raised enough funds to cover scholarships for graduating students who will continue to play in college bands. Gail’s Harley-Davidson was the major sponsor with other prize and food donations from throughout the district. While the district has had a jazz program with an annual district concert of all four jazz bands for 30 years, this was the fifth year for the Sweet! Hot! Jazz! celebration of the jazz program and fundraising event.

Two very special acknowledgements: –current Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and incoming district Superintendent Kenny Rodrequez played drum set on Jazz Orchestra’s Sing, Sing, Sing, and with his retirement this year, this was GC-4 Band Director Danny Watring’s last Grandview jazz concert.

Check out the Grandview Jazz Highlights and competition results so far this year (2016):  

Northwest Missouri State University - Feb. 26

Jazz Orchestra - First Place, Division 4A Mark Herrera - Outstanding Soloist (alto saxophone), Division 4A Aaron Spencer (drums), Josh Keleher (bass guitar), Anthony Nwaneri (flugelhorn), Geran Turner (soprano and alto sax), Oscar Rosales (piano) - Outstanding Musicianship awards,

Division 4A Jazz Ensemble - First Place, Second Band Division Andrew Kearse - Outstanding Soloist (bari saxophone), Second Band Division Natalie Reese (tenor sax), entire saxophone section (Thomas Guzan, Jennifer Guardado, Pyper Moore, Stormy Smith) - Outstanding Musicianship awards, Second Band Division

Grandview Middle School - Second in Middle School Division, 1 Rating Anna Mott - Outstanding Soloist award

Martin Middle School - Fourth in Middle School Division, 1 Rating Jason Keleher (drums/piano), Isaiah Gordon (bari sax) - Outstanding Musicianship awards

University of Central Missouri Jazz Festival - Feb. 20

Jazz Orchestra - 1 Rating Aaron Spencer (drums), Geran Turner (alto saxophone), Mark Herrera (alto saxophone), Josh Keleher (bass) - Outstanding Soloist awards

Jazz Ensemble - 2 Rating

Grandview Middle - 1 Rating Anna Mott (trumpet) - Soloist award

Martin City Middle - 2 Rating Josh Norgren (bass), saxophone section - Outstanding Musicianship awards

University of Missouri/Rockbridge Jazz Festival - Feb. 13

Jazz Orchestra - Unanimous 1 Ratings from all three judges and in sight reading, top score of all bands - Command Performance Band for evening concert with University of Missouri Jazz Band

Jazz Ensemble, Grandview Middle, Martin City Middle - 2 Ratings

KC Metro #3 All-District Jazz Band members

Jake Blackburn - trombone, senior; Geran Turner - alto sax, senior; alternate - Aaron Spencer - drum set, senior

Grandview Students Calculate Competition at 2nd Annual Math Relays

A fun filled weekend of math put students to the test as they competed in the 2^nd Annual PREP-KC 5^th and 6^th Grade Math Relays Competition.

The competition was hosted by Hickman Mills School District and included students from Hickman and Center school districts. Congratulations to all students who participated!

Here's how our schools did...

Belvidere—Bronze

Butcher Greene—Bronze

Conn-West—Silver

Grandview MS—Silver

Martin City K-8—Silver

Meadowmeare—Bronze

GHS FCCLA Students Take on Jeff City to Shadow Legislators

Grandview High School students and FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders) members, Ashley Arthur, junior, Aubriel Smith, senior, and Ey’Leonna Howard, junior participated the FCCLA Legislative Shadowing Project last month.

The the program provides an opportunity for junior and senior high school students to spend a day with their state senator or representative at the State Capital in Jefferson City. They observed hearings, meetings and were able to walk onto the senate floor and be introduced.  The students also attended a dinner banquet, sponsored by The Missouri Bar and discussed what makes a good citizen.

Arthur shadowed Senator Will Krause. Smith shadowed Senator KiKi Curls from Kansas City and Howard shadowed Representative Joe Runyons.

Also congratulations to FCCLA students who ran for office and competed in STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition).

• Arthur will serve as the State Vice President for the 2016-2017 school year.  
• Howard will serve as the Region 14 President for the 2016-2017 school year.
• Courtney Cole will serve as the Region 14 Reporter for the 2016-2017 school year.
• Turon Franklin earned a silver medal for his STAR Event:  Job Interview.
• Destini Brown served as a STAR Events evaluate and the chapter-voting delegate.

GHS Wrestlers Compete at State Championships

Grandview High School’s boys wrestling team had three students qualify for the State Championship held this past weekend. They include seniors Shontrel Wilson, Ja’kori Bell and junior Marshawn Swift.

Swift finished fourth in state and was the only non-senior to medal. Bell and Wilson are returning state qualifiers. Below are their stats. Congratulations to all on a great weekend!


SHONTREL WILSON - Senior - 138 pounds
2016 Competitive Record - (26-9)
2016 District Championships - 4th Place - State Qualifier
2015 State Medalist (6th)
2015 District Championships - 3rd Place - State Qualifier

JA’KORI BELL - Senior - 182 pounds
2016 Competitive Record - (31-13)
2016 District Championships - 4th Place - State Qualifier
2015 District Championships - 3rd Place - State Qualifier

MARSHAUN SWIFT - Junior - 195 pounds
2016 State Championships - 4th Place - State Medalist
2016 Competitive Record - (34-12)
2016 District Championships - 4th Place - State Qualifier

Grandview Jazz Band Students Earn Awards at Recent Festivals

The Grandview High School Jazz Orchestra was the top-scoring band at the University of Missouri/Rockbridge Jazz Festival Feb. 13, earning the designation of “Command Band” and was asked to perform before the University of Missouri jazz band at the festival’s evening concert. Jazz Orchestra earned unanimous 1 ratings from all three judges and in sight reading.

Grandview High School Jazz Ensemble, Grandview Middle School and Martin City Middle School Jazz Ensembles received 2 ratings. GHS’s Jazz Orchestra has earned the honor of Command Performance band 3 years - every year Grandview has participated in the festival.

Grandview’s Jazz Orchestra received a 1 rating at the University of Central Missouri Jazz Festival Feb. 20. Grandview seniors Aaron Spencer on drum set, Geran Turner on alto saxophone, junior Mark Herrera on alto saxophone and sophomore Josh Keleher on bass received outstanding soloist awards.

Grandview’s Jazz Ensemble received a 2 rating. Grandview Middle received a 1 rating with 8^th grader Anna Mott, trumpet, receiving a soloist award. Martin City Middle received a 2 rating with 8-grader Josh Norgren on bass and the saxophone section receiving outstanding musicianship awards.

GHS jazz band members saw Grandview High School alums Aryana Nemati play lead alto saxophone with the MU Jazz Band and Justin Conklin on lead alto saxophone with the UCM Jazz Ensemble I.

Friday, Feb. 26, Grandview jazz bands will take part in the Northwest Missouri State Jazz Festival and on Friday, March 4, the Pittsburg State University Festival where Doc Severinson, formerly of the Tonight Show, headlines the traditional evening concert.

All four bands will perform at the district’s annual Sweet! Hot! Jazz! concert and chocolate bar March 2 which raises scholarship funds for band students continuing to play in college.

Google Takes GC-4 Students on Field Trips All Over the World

Imagine being in elementary school and taking a field trip on an Ocean Safari or checking out the historic Ruins of Rome. Google made that possible for Butcher-Greene Elementary and Martin City K-8 students with its new product Google Expeditions.

Expeditions allows teachers to take their classes on virtual field trips immersing students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and giving students a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom.

These trips are collections of virtual reality panoramas — 360° photo spheres, 3D images and

video, ambient sounds — annotated with details, points of interest, and questions that make them

easy to integrate into curriculum already used in schools.

Students can take virtual trips to places like the Wildlife Conservation Society, PBS, the American Museum of Natural History, the Planetary Society, and the Palace of Versailles.

While nothing replaces hopping on the bus for a field trip, Expeditions provide an unparalleled

opportunity for supplemental learning. 

GHS Track Team Members Meet Olympian Jackie Joyner Kersee

Jackie Joyner Kersee was the keynote speaker at the Win for KC Luncheon last Thursday.  Win for KC honors female state champions each year at their annual fundraiser.  After Joyner Kersee spoke she took pictures with girls in attendance and our 4x200 State Championship team of Irea Brown, Amber Henderson, Sydnee Mitchell, and  (alternate)Timolin Dooley. 

 “As we chatted with her, we told her that Angie Annulus (former Bulldog state record-holder and State Champion) was attending Jackie Joyner Kersee's alma mater of UCLA.  She thought that was really cool, and said that she would definitely look her up next time she was at a practice,” said Dana Bedwell, GHS Track and Field Coach.

The luncheon was held at the Sheridan Hotel downtown.  Our district has been able to attend the last three years.