BCSD Bands Win Superior Rating
COEUR D’ALENE — Winning a superior rating Bonners Ferry High School, Boundary County Middle School and sixth grade bands attended the recent band competition.
The schools in attendance were Lakeland High School, Coeur d’ Alene High school, CDA Charter, Canfield Middle School, Post Falls, Timberlake, Sandpoint, Kellogg and Boundary County. Some of the schools had several groups totalling 15 bands.
The schools that received a superior rating were: Lakeland, CDA Charter Academy, Coeur d’ Alene High School, Post Falls, Sandpoint, Timberlake, Boundary County Middle School and Bonners Ferry High School.
“We were the only middle school that got a superior rating. And we actually got higher scores than a lot of the high schools” George Izzett Band teacher for Boundary County Schools said. “I was pleased that our middle school was the only middle school that got a superior rating.” Izzett said.
“But the whole thing about this is I don't want to belittle any of the other schools. It's not a matter of beat, beat, beat. But it's a barometer. It's a rubric, if you will, to show where we’re at, just kind of that formative assessment and assessment thing we always talk about,” Izzett said.
Out of all the seven high schools Bonners Ferry placed third with a score of 63. CDA Charter Academy placed first earning a 66.6 average, Post Falls Wind Ensemble, which has over 70 kids placed second with a 64.
“We ended up scoring higher than the bigger schools.” Izzett said. “[We] surprised a lot of people. I took my sixth grade beginning band and they got an excellent rating and many are first year players.”
“They really did a good job. But, it's not so much “we win, they win”. It was a barometer for us,” he said.
Izzett said the thing he’s most proud about was that the officials running the auditorium said Bonners Ferry kids were the only kids that followed all the rules of the auditorium: meaning no phones, no eating.
“We sat and listened to other groups, even though it wasn't reciprocated. The behavior is what I think I was probably the most proud of [from Bonners Ferry kids],” he said.
