Newspaper Page Text
November 14, 2012
PAGE 13A
^Reporter
The Monroe Coun
ty based Tiger
Steppers commu
nity marching band
made an impres
sion when it per
formed at the Ft.
Valley homecoming
parade on Oct. 13.
Pictured left is the
drumline, right is
the group’s lead off
banner, and below
is the drill team.
The Tiger Steppers:
Music, marching and mentors
BY DIANE GLIDEWELL
The dream of a few graduates
of the Mary Persons marching
band to share their love of music
and performing with youth in
Monroe and surrounding coun
ties has grown wings. The Tiger
Steppers, formed last August,
now numbers almost 70 mem
bers, including a drum line, drill
team, and flag corps. The group
made its leaders, parents, and
sponsors proud when it marched
in the homecoming parade in Ft.
Valley on Oct. 13.
"We were really able to hold
our own in Ft. Valley," said
Dustin Pope, one of the founders
of William M. Hubbard Tiger
Steppers. "We were invited to
the Battle of Bands in March at
Ft. Valley. We got our name out
there."
James Slaughter, director of
the band, said the group prac
ticed every Saturday to get
ready for the performance in Ft.
Valley and will soon begin gear
ing up to perform for Christmas
parades in Monroe County and
Putnam County. They have been
invited to play with the Lamar
County band in the stands at its
last home game. Practices are
held at the Monroe County
Recreation Park off of Hwy. 42
N. The Tiger Steppers have
members from Monroe, Putnam,
Lamar, and Crawford counties.
The group hopes to add more
instrumentalists, but the
expense of musical
instruments poses an
obstacle. Crawford
County School System
has helped the Tiger
Steppers a lot by let
ting the group borrow
percussion instru
ments.
The Hubbard
Alumni Association is
the major sponsor of
the Tiger Steppers,
and Pope and
Slaughter are excited
about hosting an
event in conjunction
with the annual Hubbard
Alumni parade and celebration
the third weekend in April. It is
planned as the "Reginald Peak,
Soul of Soul, Music
Extravaganza."
Galen Jacobs and Stan Grier
direct the drum line, which
includes four drum majors, and
at least 15 members. Jacobs said
in his 16 years of experience
with bands, he has never done
anything more fulfilling than
working with these young peo
ple.
"It's been remarkable, very
rewarding," said Jacobs. "The
kids came in not knowing any
thing about music. In a a two or
three month time period, they
have advanced."
He is planning a drumline
camp May 3-5 for new members
who would like to join the Tiger
Steppers.
The Tiger Steppers are raising
funds to purchase drums and
accessories like sticks, harness
es, and drum heads and to main
tain their instruments. The cost
to outfit the group with their
own drums will be $4,000-
$5,000. The
band lead
ers are ask
ing for T-
shirt spon
sors at $150
each. The
names of
each spon
sor will be
on the
backs of the
shirt, an
excellent
source of
advertising
for the
sponsors as the Tiger Steppers
march in parades. A commit
ment from sponsors is needed by
mid-December. The Tiger
Steppers are buying their own
shirts at cost; other shirts will
be for sale at $15 each.
The volunteers who lead the
band are motivated both by
their love of music and by their
desire to provide an activity for
youth that exercises the mind
and body in positive ways and
provides positive mentoring and
social interaction with adults
and peers.
"Motivated, Dedicated-You
check us out," is the motto of the
Tiger Steppers.
"It's more to me than music,"
said Jacobs. "They learn respon
sibility for mistakes. They learn
to own up. It's real-world men
toring."
For more information about
sponsoring or joining the Tiger
Steppers, visit
www.facebook.com/williammhub-
bardtigersteppersmarchingband
or contact one of the band's lead
ers: Brandon Moore and Dustin
Pope (founders), James
Slaughter (director), Galen
Jacobs and Stan Grier (drum-
lin), Deona King (drill team
instructor), Cantrell Walton,
Colette Jordan, and Destiny
Morgan (flag team instructors),
Gavin White, Aaron Jacobs,
Jaylen Swint (drum majors).
SUCCEED
Pictured are faculty and students who helped with Red Ribbon Week at Mary Persons freshman campus. Left to right
are assistant principal Sarah Alford, essay contest winner Amber Walton, Ryan Steed, poster contest winner Ashley Lo
gan, Sierra Morgan, essay contest runner up Harrison Fry, John Howard, Shea Sparks, counselor Isabel Byas.
Mary Persons Class of 2016
pledges to graduate drug-free
Why I choose to live
my life drug free
1st place essay
BY AMBER WALTON
Ever since I was four, I have been taught not to use
drugs. Even though at that age I did not understand 'real
world' issues; I was mostly concerned with eating fish
sticks after school and playing with my color-coded alpha
bet blocks. However, as I progressed in life, I learned more
and more about the dark, depressing world we wake to and
live in everyday.
As human beings, we are taught to know right from
wrong, but unless we enforce those morals we will never
live our lives right. At age seven, my beloved uncle took his
life with drugs. He overdosed. That was all I needed to
know that drugs were not a toy or substance you should
become involved with in your life.
Drugs affect teens more than they affect adults. I've
heard, watched, and read stories of teens being pressured
or forced to do drugs--not considering the devastating
results they could have on their lives. Frequent bullying
and threats force teens to reach a point of depression so
vile until they use drugs to take their lives, thinking it's an
escape but trapping themselves as victims of drug's horrif
ic actions.
Anyone can say no, anyone can walk away. All you have
to do is stay strong and remember your morals. Look at
the victims, the actions, the effects drugs have; not only on
adults but teens, too. Yes, life is hard but life is valuable,
especially when you have loved ones who care about you
and a Lord in the sky guiding, watching, and protecting
you. I choose to live my life drug free because I choose to
live right instead of wrong. I choose not to become a victim
to drugs but to be a warrior and survivor by saying no to
drugs. I choose to live my life free from the dark and
depressing clutches of drugs.
BY DIANE GLIDEWELL
Students on the freshman cam
pus of Mary Persons High School
observed Red Ribbon Week with a
variety of activities Oct. 22-26 to
show their commitment not only
to remain drug free but also to
involve themselves in positive
activities that will lead to mean
ingful and productive lives. They
started the week by signing
pledges to stay in school and
learn, to make the world a better
place, to keep dreams alive, and to
help others and stay drug free.
Red Ribbon Week began in
California in 1985 in response to
the murder of undercover drug
agent Enrique Camarina and is
celebrated nationally in schools at
all levels. It highlights the tolls
drug abuse takes on everyone in a
community. It is the nation's old
est and largest drug prevention
campaign.
Ninth graders at Mary Persons
created personal time capsules
that were sealed and placed in the
high school vault. The capsules
will be opened in 2016 while the
students are preparing for high
school graduation. Students
enclosed letters to themselves and
various items of significance in
their capsules.
"We wanted something tangible
to make it more real," said fresh
man counselor Isabel Byas, who
was responsible for coordinating
the activities of Red Ribbon Week
with the help of student council
members and other volunteers.
Students gave their parents a
pledge to sign stating commitment
to talk to their children about the
dangers of drug abuse, to set clear
rules for them, to pro
vide a good example
for them, to monitor
children's behavior and
enforce consequences,
and to encourage fami
ly and friends to follow
the same guidelines to
raise safe and healthy
children.
Fun activities like
wearing red on
Tuesday and wearing
Bulldog spirit shirts on
Friday unified the stu
dents and drew atten
tion to the campaign. The fresh
men were invited to compete in a
Red Ribbon Week poster contest
and essay contest on the themes,
"I have better things to do than
drugs" and "Why I choose to live
drug free."
Amber Walton won the essay
contest. Harrison Fry wrote the
second place essay. Ashley Logan
designed the winning poster.
Ronnie Daniel of Forsyth Dairy
Queen provided ice cream prizes
for the contest winners.
Runner up essay
BY HARRISON FRY
I live drug free because in my life my goals come before
short term temptations that may pop up during the course
of my life. I decided long ago that I wanted to lead a life
fueled by ambition and eventual success. No drug could
ever take the place of my drive to win at life.
If life is an elaborate game dictated by the decisions you
make, taking drugs would be cheating, and cheaters never
win at life.
In fact, nothing good has ever come from any habitual
drug taker. None of our great leaders or innovators used
drugs to achieve their success.
No person has ever lived a pure and care-free non-violent
life, but when you add illegal substances into your life, you
invite a world of different unnecessary challenges which
hinder you in all your actions and ambitions as a person in
modern day life. There is no reason that you should have
to make your life any harder than it already is, but it
comes to when people fall into short temptations.
I call drugs short term temptations because drugs pro
vide a high that leaves you after a period of relatively
short time. Education, which is usually hindered by drug
abuse, is timeless and can be applied to every day situa
tions. Education arms you in almost every way for life as
an adult, but substance abuse dilutes and in some cases
reduces the quality of education an individual obtains.
I want to live a life where I can operate on my own and
don't need any substance to pick me up or get me going.
That's why I choose to live drug free.
Winning poster, by Ashley Logan