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Happy Birthday to us! Today marks the 3-year anniversary of the creation of my original 8th grade Disneyland Trip site in 2005 and the start of macgyversfriend.com. In honor of the date, I now present the 
Due to the busyness of this time of year, I have decided to postpone another 3-year anniversary project for exactly one month. However, it will not be a part of our emerald07 site. Until July, you'll just have to try and guess what it will turn out to be!
With only a few weeks left of the school year, I have put a brand new video of our parade march from the Arcadia Tournament on the 
Drama King | Drama Queen | Class Clown |
Always Late to Practice | Most Likely to Leave Practice | Twinkle Toes |
Director's Best Friend | Most Likey to Annoy the Band Directors | |
Band Studette | Biggest Flirt | |
Sunshine Award | ||
Most Likely to Decorate Their Dot Book | Most Likely to Burn Their Dot Book | Most Likely to be a Band Director |
Crowbar Award
Melanie S. & Noa R. (right)
Niki T. & Dana B.
Brittany M. (center) & Katie R. (middle)
Heather M. & Jenna M.
Friday, May 23, 2008 ~ Last Italy Album
And so at long last, here is Italy Album #4 giving us a grand total of 160 pictures from Italy! These sights around Florence, Venice, and Verona will give you one more glance back at our trip at the beginning of April including the 500-stair view at the top of the Duomo of Florence. Italy has by far been the largest collection of pictures that I have ever compiled from a single event so it really is a landmark of how much my website has grown. In exactly one week, macgyversfriend.com will be three years old!
A piece of alarming news has come to my attention concerning the tentative Music Booster schedule for next year's marching season. Here are the facts: There is no mention of a trip to Arcadia or a theme park in November, thus meaning that they have been cancelled. Also, the season is now set to end with a competition on December 6, one week after Thanksgiving break. Although the schedule is not finalized, these proposed changes will be devastating for all upperclassmen who will miss out on their last Arcadia performance. So the question becomes, what do we do about it? Should we organize a petition? Please tell us what you think...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 ~ Videos & Leadership
The Video Game Tournament on Saturday was a success with an estimate of over 100 people who attended throughout the day! The tournament went on inside both band rooms and outside the carnival was in full bloom with games, prizes, cake walks, raffles, and most importantly, concessions (food)! However, the most anticipated and best part of the afternoon was the story of "Mr. Cook and the Three Pies." Here's the video!!!
This video and those past can now be viewed on our brand new Videos of the Week page, now linked to under "Effect." In addition, please visit our Heat of the Day videos page for links to videos from the Percussion Ensemble's championship performance!
With voting beginning on Wednesday and Thursday this week, here are the candidates for the elected positions of band leadership:
President: (spokesperson, ambassador, & newsperson)
Marilyn P. (Class '09)
Librarian: (photocopies all music)
Jessica J. (our very own Mareina!) (Class '09)
Michelle P. (In Picture: Right) (Class '09)
Marrisa P. (In Picture: Left) (Class '11)
Mara Y. (In Picture: Right) (Class '11)
Matt W. (In Picture: Right) (Class '11)
Secretary: (takes attendence)
Renee H. (In Picture: Center) (Class '09)
Anton W. (Class '10)
Publicity: (advertisement, posters, & announcements)
Caitlin B. (In Picture: Left) (Class '09)
Victoria F. (In Picture: Left) (Class '11)
Although it seems strange, please don't vote only for your friends! If you want to have responsible leaders for your band, vote for who you think is best suited for the job.
The one candidate that I would like to mention is Jessica J. for Librarian. She has faithfully worked on all of the pictures that you see on this website and is a top bassoon player! I would personally vouch for her as a hard worker and someone who has the extra time required for the position! Vote for Jessica! (Hey! I'm ALLOWED to support my own staff member!)
Monday, May 19, 2008 ~ Senior of the Week XI
Alayna W. ~ Trombone (left)
(left)
Birthday: August 23
Best Quality: "very humerous"
Advice: "Just do your best and if people give you helpful criticism, just accept it and don't argue about it"
Future Plans: "i plan to go to school to become a detective"
What We Think: Alayna is one of the more rare people to meet in the music program. In fact, it was not until very recently that I got to know her. She has been in the band for four years and currently plays trombone in Concert Band. Good luck in the future!
Friday, May 16, 2008 ~ Italy #3 & Video Game Tournament
Did I promise you tons of Italy pictures or what? Here's Italy Page 3 which includes the second half of the people pictures. Plus, I would like to thank Poppy A. for taking pictures of our band concert in Florence! You will see 7 of her photos in the album. Enjoy!
Remember, the first ever Video Game Tournament begins tomorrow at 1:00 PM! Even if you can't participate in the competition, try to come for an hour or more to support the band and orchestra and the big team of students that put this event together! Plus, Mr. Cook's jar has had an overwhelming lead in cash, so we are willing to promise that he will be pied in the face tomorrow afternoon! Good luck to all SSBB competitors!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 ~ Percussion Video
Finally, the end is in sight! With less than 30 days to graduation, it is time to begin our series of end-of-the-year videos, beginning with the Percussion Ensemble's Heat of the Day! And to intensify that heat, I have created some bright new headbanners to bring in the summer days. If you look closely, the marcher in main logo in the upper-left is wearing sunglasses too! Hope they brighten your day!
So in fact, there are many people scale testing this week, including Low Brass, String Basses, and Percussion. Get your Scales done NOW so that way you won't have to worry about them on the last week of school! If you need help, get it from upperclassmen. If you are an upperclassmen, get help from lowerclassmen who are smarter than you. Plus, Leadership tryouts, Wind Symphony auditions, and band and orchestra Elections are closer than ever so don't give up! Your friends are counting on you!
Monday, May 12, 2008 ~ Senior of the Week X
Teresa C. ~ Flute
Birthday: February 1
Senior Shirt Quote: "No, I'm not a freshman. Why? ...Because I'm a Senior!"
Best Quality: "I always try to be a good person and help anyone who needs it."
Advice: "Stay in band and keep practicing!"
Future Plans: "I'm going to either UT Austin or St. Mary's College to study chemistry. I want to get my PhD and be a research scientist, but who knows what will happen by then!"
What We Think: I first met Teresa at the Bicycle Race in the EB's 2006 Queen field show. Since then, she has worked to become a top academic student at PHS and still plays flute in Concert Band. Teresa has brought a lot of fun to the band!
Saturday, May 10, 2008 ~ Italy Album #2
For my 2nd Italy Album of 4, here are some of the sights around Italy! By splitting up the albums in this way, it is easier to separately focus your attention on People or Places. Please enjoy some of my best work in this locations-only collection of Rome and Vatican City!
"Are You The Best?"
That question and many more will be answered at the first ever band and orchestra Video Game Tournament fundraiser! It is to take place in one week on Saturday, May 17th, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the band room. The featured game of the competition is "Super Mario Smash Bros. Brawl" for the Nintendo Wii and the first prize is an "Apple 8GB IPod Touch". Registration into the competion costs 10$. Here are scans of the Registration Form and the Tournament Rules.
In addition, a carnival including food, games, and activities will be held outside of the band room in the N-quad! Little is known about its specifics, but the biggest news is of the pie fundraiser. In the band room, there are five sealed jars with the names Mr. Cook, Mr. Crooks, Mr. Lapre, Josh D. and Brad A., in which students may place money to vote. The person whose jar recieves the most money will be hit in the face with a pie next week at the carnival. For the record, our money is on Mr. Cook or Brad A. Please check back next week as more information reveals itself to the public.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 ~ Even More Festival Recordings
It is now a little over a month since the Poway Festival which means that it is also time to wrap up the recordings with Mr. Cook's two bands. The most intriguing thing about Mr. Cook is that he must be versatile enough to teach beginning freshmen as well organize our best musicians at Poway High. This probably requires completely opposite teaching styles to both bands. Lastly, let's thank Mr. Fitch for providing these excellent recordings that will document this year's concert season for all time...
Symphonic Band
Introduction (0:35)
Anthem for Winds and Percussion ~ Claude T. Smith (4:49)
An Irish Rhapsody ~ Clare Grundman (7:05)
Of A Distant Star ~ Ed Huckeby (4:37)
Wind Symphony
Introduction (0:25)
Dancing At Stonehenge ~ Anthony Suter (6:26)
Aerodynamics ~ David R. Gillingham (8:19)
P.S. The best and most anticipated band songs this year were SB's "An Irish Rhapsody" and WS's "Aerodynamics." And from last week, WE's "Foundation" and CB's "Kingsbridge Overture."
Monday, May 5, 2008 ~ Senior of the Week IX
The first week of scale testing is now upon us and the clarinets have the honors. Here is a pdf file of all major and minor Scales for your use, so now you have no excuse to not finish them! Not only do scales make up a substantial part of your grade but: 1) They improve your music playing and sight reading ability, 2) they impress the directors (if you test them off during your week), and 3) they're the key to your success as a musician! If you really are having trouble with your scales, you should feel free to ask for help from a reliable upperclassmen or your section leader.
Lindzey G. ~ Clarinet & Bass Clarinet
(front & center)
Birthday: September 17
Senior Shirt Quote: "Lets Go! ...Why? Because I'm a Senior!"
Nickname: "Lindzey with a Z"
Best Quality: "I think my best quality is being able to make people laugh, even if it is at me."
Advice: "I would tell people to make sure that people know that you will have no life from August to Thanksgiving."
Future Plans: "In the future, I would like to be a forensic scientist. If that doesn't happen i'd also like to pursue a career in medical treatment."
What We Think: Lindzey has faithfully marched clarinet for all of her high school years and currently plays bass clarinet in concert band. She usually has a mischievous grin on her face.
Friday, May 2, 2008 ~ Italy Photo Album
Ta-Da! Now that May has arrived, so has our very first Italy Trip photo album! I have decided to split the photos up between People and Places, and then giving them two albums each. So, that gives us a grand total of four pages that will span over the next month. Nearly every single Poway student is featured in our premiere album, so enjoy!