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PAGE 4B - THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL THURSDAY. AUGUST 17. 2023
Cheerleading and Band
Senior cheerleaders are pictured with the senior football players. Two of the senior cheerleaders are not pictured.
Photo submitted
Football cheerleading squads have most cheerleaders yet
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreetnews.com
Red Raider fans we’ll see big cheer
squads this year.
Varsity football cheer coach Morgan
Chandler says this year’s squads for the
games include 25 varsity football cheer
leaders and 20 junior varsity football
cheerleaders.
“This is the most we’ve ever had on
both JV and varsity football squads to my
knowledge,” she shares.
She notes that there are 13 seniors on
the varsity squad this year and the coaches
plan to guide them as leaders of the team
as they finish up high school.
Coaches manning the squads include
Chandler and Julie Russell for varsity and
Elizabeth West for JV. Va’Quasha Dean,
head of the cheerleading program, works
with all the squads.
“Since we began working together a
few years ago, our goal has always been
to grow Madison County cheerleading
into a solid program overall,” Chandler
says. “We wanted to be competitive, yet
solid in our values. At the end of the day,
we are molding our athletes into young la
dies and quality representatives of society.
Combining cheerleading with building re
lationships and forming bonds within each
team has really helped us get to where the
program is today. “
“Each season we set out goals as a team
with skills we want to accomplish,” she
continues. “This year we all have sever
al goals that we already have in mind and
plan to achieve. We hang this list of goals
in our locker room and check back in on
our list of goals often. While we are just
starting our season, I can guarantee you
that this group will meet all of their goals
that they set out to achieve.”
“Being a Madison County High School
cheerleader isn’t just an honor, it is a priv
ilege. Many people do not realize how
hard these ladies work on a weekly basis. I
think I can speak for all of the cheer coach
es by saying that we are very excited for
another great football season here at Mad
ison County High School.”
. . ■
* ”
The band practices its halftime show during band camp.
Photo submitted
New band director looking forward to football season
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County High School has a new
band director this year.
Donny Allen comes to the Red Raiders
after extensive band experience.
He has directed university, high school
and middle school bands throughout Flor
ida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee
and Virginia.
Previously at the high school level, he
served as director of bands at Monroe
Area High School, Grassfield High School
in Chesapeake, VA, West Craven High
School in Vanceboro, NC, and South For
syth High School. Allen has also served as
an associate director of bands for Oviedo
High School in Oviedo, FL.
At the university level, he served as the
director of athletic bands and associate di
rector of bands at the University of Cen
tral Florida, where he was director of the
Marching Knights and conductor of the
symphonic band and concert band. There
he was also the coordinator for instru
mental music education, teaching music
education method courses and supervis
ing student teachers in Florida’s public
schools.
Allen has also served as the assistant di
rector of bands for Georgia Tech, where he
was conductor of the wind ensemble and
concert band and was the assistant director
of athletic bands.
Allen also has extensive experience
in marching arts. He currently serves on
the brass staff of the Phantom Regiment.
Previously, he served on the brass staff
of the 2018 World Champion Santa Clara
Vanguard and before that on the brass
staff for the Cavaliers. He was a marching
member of the Bluecoats of Canton, OH,
then served for fourteen seasons as a brass
instructor for the corps and four seasons as
a brass instructor for the Spirit of Atlanta.
Allen also served in the U.S. Army bands
as horn instrumentalist and staff conductor
for the Infantry Band at Ft. Benning and
the Signal Corps Band at Ft. Gordon.
He has a bachelor’s and master’s degree
from East Carolina University and a doc
torate from the University of Memphis.
He holds memberships in the International
Horn Society, National Band Association,
National Association for Music Education,
Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi
Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda and
honorary memberships in Kappa Kappa
Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.
“I am thrilled to bring my family home
to Northeast Georgia and look forward to
all this season holds in store,” Allen says
in introductory comments.
He also says the band is excited to pres
ent its halftime show “A Place Where the
Clouds Dance” that was completed during
the program’s two-week camp.
“Band camp was hot but productive,” he
shares. “The students have been diligent
and driven in preparing for the season —
we look forward to showing off all their
hard work. The vision for this season is to
pursue music and visual performance ex
cellence that our students will enjoy com
municating with audiences.”
“We look forward to supporting our
teams and community this fall with the
music and energy we always bring to the
communities of Madison County.”
IT’S
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