2021 RCHS Graduation Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, May 30th from 3-5 pm in the stadium. The call-time for graduation is 2 pm in the rehearsal hall.  This performance features the Honors Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Band. The attire for the venue is "Sunday best" clothes. No jeans, shorts, tennis shoes, t-shirts, etc., please. All students, except for seniors, are expected to attend.

Good afternoon, RCHS Bands friends, family, and students.

On Monday, May 31st, the Symphonic Band, the Honors Wind Ensemble, & the Color Guard are all performing at the Olney Memorial Day parade and ceremony.

Here are the details regarding the Olney Memorial Day Parade Ceremonies:

OLNEY: The VFW is hosting a Memorial Day parade and ceremony. The parade will begin at the Olney VFW. The ceremony will take place immediately after the conclusion of the parade at Haven Hill Cemetery (just north of the City Park). Drum majors Garrett Wright & Kali Hinterscher are directing. In the event of rain, the ceremony shall be held in the VFW hall.

The uniform is department shirts & shorts, black socks, and Drillmasters. Students will also need flip folders, lyres, and instruments.

9:30 AM: Call-time at RCHS (all but bugler & saxophone quintet)
10:15 AM: Load bus and depart for Olney VFW followed by Haven Hill Cemetery
10:30 AM: Parade line-up at the Olney VFW
10:45 AM: Parade step-off (parade begins)
11:00 AM: Olney Memorial Day ceremony at Haven Hill Cemetery.

I anticipate the parade and the ceremony won't last longer than an hour and a half, which will put the band back at the school around 12-12:30 PM.

The band is performing the following songs:
Hosts of Freedom
Star Spangled Banner
Army
Navy
Marines
Coast Guard
Air Force
Merchant Marines

Please bring water with you to this event. I encourage students to bring a water cooler. Coolers need to go on the bus. Please drink plenty of water!

I know that this falls on Memorial Day weekend, falls during the summer, and many families will be out of town. That being said, we need as many RCHS Bands members to this performance as possible. All total, the combined Honors Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band is around 45 students during the 4th term. We want to support the cities of Olney & Noble (and our veterans) that support us. Students, please make every effort to be at this event. It means a lot to this community. This performance is a graded event.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions, comments, or concerns.


Best,
Mr. Jones

The ILMEA District 5 holds auditions for 2021-2022 District 5 ensembles on Monday, November 11th, 2021 at Effingham High School.  Only select senior high school band members are participating. The departure time is 6:30 AM behind the band room, (circle drive). The return time for the bus is estimated to be around 4 PM. High school students may travel back on the RCMS bus. That bus will does not stop for lunch, and will return to the middle school before 1 pm.

Students are encouraged to bring a cell phone so that they may call a parent upon returning to the school. Students are also encouraged to bring money or a sack lunch, as the bus will stop for lunch before returning back to Olney. To best represent our school and our community, students are expected to wear appropriate dress clothes to the event. Should you have any questions regarding what is appropriate, please contact Mr. Jones or Mr. Weitkamp.

If you are permitting your student to attend the field trip, please sign the form and return as soon as possible.  

Please feel free to call or email me should you have any questions. My contact information is in the header.

Ladies & gentlemen, the Oblong Spooktacular Parade is right around the corner! This is your chance to dress up in your favorite Halloween garb. The parade is hosted in Oblong, IL on Saturday, October 30th, 2021.

The schedule for the Spooktacular Parade is as follows:

4:30 PM.........................................Call-time at RCHS
4:35 PM.........................................Load equipment
5:05 PM.........................................Buses arrive at exit 21
5:15 PM.........................................Depart for Oblong, IL
6:00 PM.........................................Parade line-up
7:00 PM.........................................Parade step-off
11:00 PM.......................................Estimated return time to RCHS


Parade Route
The Oblong Spooktacular Parade will follow the same parade route as previous years.  The parade will begin at the Oblong City Park, travel west on Main Street (IL Rt. 33) through town, and end at the west end of town by the Oblong Elementary School.  The bands will turn south (left) on Jefferson Street , go 2 blocks, turn east (left) , travel 2 blocks to Adams – turn south (right) on Adams and continue to the Oblong High School. 
 
Concessions at Park
There will be concessions available at the Oblong City Park since there can be a long wait to march.  Debbie’s concession trailer will be there, as well as the local 4-H club, with a variety of foods available.
 
Parade Line-up
Parade bands will need to be at the Oblong City Park no later than 6:00pm for line-up, Also there is no entrance to the park from Main Street.  When arriving in Oblong, either from the east or west, turn north on Taylor Street and go all the way to the end of Taylor.  This brings you to Wisconsin Street, where you will turn east (right) and follow the road around the Oblong Lake. 
 
The buses and equipment trailers will be directed to the high school after unloading. The band will meet up with the buses at the high school following the parade.
            
Post-Parade / Awards
When arriving back at the Oblong High School, the pavilion and concession area will be serving hot food, popcorn, candy and drinks.  A DJ will be there to play music, and students are welcome to dance on the football field.  Please ask your bands to use the trash and recycle containers located around the school grounds.  There will be portable toilets available in the school parking area, and limited indoor restrooms are available at the southeast corner of the school.

The combined Honors Wind Ensemble & the Symphonic Band (4th term) are enjoying a day in the park at Six Flags St. Louis on Saturday, May 8th.

Trip attire is the orange RCHS department shirt ($10), jeans, and tennis shoes. Students need not purchase a new department shirt should they already have a shirt.

The cost for students to participate is nothing! The RCHS Bands program is picking up the bill this year as a reward for enduring the pandemic and all that went along with it. Meals are not provided. Students should bring either money or sack meals for lunch and dinner.

BAND FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:
6:45 am......................................................Call-time at RCHS (rehearsal hall)
6:50-10:00 am..............................................Travel to Eureka, MO
10:00-6:00 pm..............................................Fun in the park!
6:00 pm......................................................Call-time at the front gates
6:15 pm......................................................Dinner at McDonald's
10:00 pm......................................................Estimated return time to Olney

APPROPRIATE ATTIRE FOR THE WATERPARK:
To participate in the water park activities, you must wear a swimsuit. We recommend nylon swimsuits with liners. We don’t allow guests to enter the water areas wearing thong bathing suits, regular shorts (including khaki and cargo styles), long pants, street clothes, cut-off shorts, or denim. Because they can damage the rides, we also do not allow swimwear with buttons, snaps, rivets or zippers. But, don’t worry—if you don’t have the appropriate clothing, swimsuits can be purchased on site! Here are more guidelines to help you pick out the best attire for your trip to Hurricane Harbor:

• Shoes are not allowed in any attraction.
• Aqua socks/water shoes are not permitted on some slides.
• Swimsuits are only allowed in Hurricane Harbor, and must be appropriate for a family environment.
• Shoes, proper shorts, jean and cover-up attire are all required when returning to the theme park.

PACKING LIST:

• Mask
• Hand sanitizer
• Department Shirt
• Jeans
• Tennis Shoes
• Hoodie or Light Jacket
• Hat (optional)
• Swimwear
• Towel
• Sun Screen
• Money or sack meals (lunch & dinner)

FIRST AID:
Our First Aid Station is located by Hurricane Bay on the East side of the Volcano. Our trained staff of Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians are always on duty during waterpark hours.

SIX FLAGS WEBSITE:
https://www.sixflags.com/stlouis

If you are permitting your student to attend the field trip, please sign the form and return to Mr. Jones by prior to the trip. You may find a copy of the permission slip in the link at the bottom of this post.

Please feel free to call or email me should you have any questions at cjones@rccu1.net or by calling (618) 393-2191 ext. 3137.

SIX FLAGS COVID MITIGATION REQUIREMENTS:
https://www.sixflags.com/overtexas/plan-your-visit/safety-protocols

TRIP ROSTER:
Mr. Jones
Mrs. Deimel
Mrs. Benton
Abby Atwood
Aidan Gomez
Arianna Henby
Austin Vaughn
Benjamin Hout
Brad Muetener
Garrett Wright
Isaac Zwilling
Jake Wheeler
James Baker
James Benton
Jase Rusk
Jozalyn Houser
Kali Hinterscher
Kyle Rennier
Madison Hinderliter
Madison Shaw
Riley Harrolle
Paige Elder
Ryan Drummond
Shelby Gardner
Victoria Zwilling

The RCHS Bands proud to host the first annual Fright Night between the Main St. Trust Bank and Chilly Willy's Ice Cream's & Grill on Friday, October 30th. Children of all ages and sizes may attend the event in a drive-in theater setting. Admittance is free!

Students are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes. The Olney Music Boosters hands will graciously pass out candy to those in their cars. The Marching Tigers will perform a selection of Halloween tunes & movie themes, while the big screen shows excerpts from the movies.

Show-times are 6:00-6:25, 6:30-6:55, & 7:00-7:25 pm. The report time for all RCHS Marching Tigers is 4:45 pm at the stadium.

Please keep this event safe for all participants. Spectators must stay in their cars during the performance. While accepting candy from the boosters, please wear a mask.

Hello, students!

Today was my first day back to RCHS since my surgery. I saw a lot of truly great things at today's rehearsal - especially since we have 78% less rehearsal time than on a normal year. Big shout out to Mr. Vaal and Mrs. Deimel for their leadership, and instruction!

As I see it, we have two major objectives this season: OBJECTIVE #1 - prepare the first movement (music and marching), & OBJECTIVE #2 - prepare for Fright Night on 10/30/20.

Fright Night is just for fun, and a way to give back to the community. Our patrons will stay in their cars, much like a drive up theater, which should make the experience safe for everyone. We will social distance, eear masks, and utilize the new bell covers. There will be three short performances covering the following times at Trust Bank on Main St. 6:00-6:20, 6:30-6:50, and 7:00-7:20. We will perform The Nightmare Before Christmas, Thriller, Avengers, Harry Potter, Ghostbusters, & Star Wars. The music does not have to be memorized, but it does have to be learned. At this point, I am not sure if we will have a video compilation to accompany the music. The music is coming to you soon.

As for Side Shows, Rides and Grant Entry, this is our only focus for a field performance for the 2020 season. As I said before, we only have 22% of practice time that we would normally enjoy. That is why we are focusing on just the first movement this season. For that matter, the drill is written very simply to make it attainable (While the music will stay the same for next year, the drill will be more difficult). You are also welcome to retake a test anytime.

That being said, we need you to practice the music with a metronome every single remote learning day. That equates to 3 hours and 24 minutes a week. There will be an occasional playing test to check your progress. I will hold you to the same standard for playing tests that the music judges at competitions would expect. This will only help us next year! Please make sure you are practicing.

TIPS FOR PRACTICING:
1. Don't forget about dynamics!
2. Always practice with a metronome
3. Practice slowly, with accuracy in mind. Gradually speed up the tempo
4. Practice regularly. Remember, remote days equal 3 hr. 24 min. a week
5. Don't forget about dynamics!

Keep pushing! You are doing great things!