NEW YEAR NEW MARCHING SHOW

(Above) Members of the percussion section of the Liberty Hill band rehearse this summer while getting ready for the new school year. (Photo by Scott Akanewich) (Right) The marching band finished fourth at the Class 5A area championships last year. (Courtesy Photo)

Panther Band gearing up for upcoming campaign

Much work goes in behind the scenes for Liberty Hill musicians

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH

STAFF WRITER

In the band hall at Liberty Hill High School is a sign that reads – “Music isn’t what we do, it’s who we are.”

However, before all of the notes and melodies can flow smoothly through the air and resonate around Panther Stadium on a Friday night, the 150 members of the Panthers’ marching band must go through a training regimen as thorough and detailed as those they share the gridiron with under the lights.

Unlike its football brethren, though, a brand-new playbook must be learned each year as the band features a unique performance with different music.

According to Liberty Hill Band Director Shawn Murphy, the show may change, but the theme remains the same.

“I feel like every one of our shows should be a ‘thank you,’” said Murphy, in his second year in charge. “It’s now the identity of our band.”

Last year, the band honored late Liberty Hill head football coach and athletic director Jeff Walker with a poignant performance and this year, it will pay tribute to those who wear the uniform of our country.

“This year, we’re doing ‘American Soldier,’” said Murphy. “We want to say ‘thank you’ to our servicemen and servicewomen. There are other places that aren’t as free as we are thanks to them, so we want to honor them.”

New kids on the block

A critical piece of the Panthers’ puzzle in the run up to the new school year is indoctrinating freshman musicians who are making the jump from middle to high school, where more will be expected of them – with one very big difference, said Murphy.

“Middle school bands don’t march,” he said. “There are some instruments, such as the tuba, that have different versions for sitting while playing and marching. They’ll also be required to play longer tones and sustained notes.”

On the intangible side of the situation, the first-year musicians must be integrated into the ranks in order for complete assimilation to take place.

“We have our student leadership – our captains and lieutenants – come in and help with our freshman camp,” said Murphy, of the three-day orientation program that takes place in the week leading up to the first day of official practice. “This way, they can come in on the first day without being intimidated or overwhelmed.”

Support system

Much of what the Panthers band does couldn’t be accomplished without the support of the Liberty Hill Band Boosters – a group of parents who must be just as dedicated to the program as their sons and daughters are – in providing some of the things they need to be at their best levels of performance.

In order to do that, money must be raised, said Shawna Ware, treasurer of the booster club.

“It’s a huge challenge,” she said. “We help with a little bit of everything from equipment to travel to buses and even props for the performances. Last year, we did pretty well by raising $39,000.”

One of the things the band needs most is a bigger trailer to haul the increased amount of equipment to road venues as the ranks continue to grow, said Murphy.

“We could really use an 18-wheel trailer because we’ve grown so much,” he said. “We’re up to 150 this year from 120 last year.”

Maintaining a culture

When Murphy took the reins last year, one of his primary goals for the program was to build a winning culture – one based on a premise of letting nobody slip through the cracks, he said.

“We always want to be committed to each individual member of our band and we do that by breaking them down into small groups of instruction – divide and conquer,” said Murphy. “If you can make each one the best they can be, the entire band will be better as a whole.”

Liberty Hill finished just shy of qualifying for the Class 5A state championships last year, finishing fourth at the area competition, with only the top three moving on, so that culture is indeed beginning to take hold.

Onward and upward, as the new school year provides a fresh musical canvas for the Panthers to paint on and much like the Panthers’ football coaches are busy readying their players with workouts and film study, Murphy and his staff are doing the same with their charges in the form of rehearsals and drill.

“Each week as we get ready, we want to give them confidence,” he said. “So, there’s not a lot of anxiety when it’s time to perform because we’ve put them in a position to succeed.”

Murphy said as his musicians’ respective skill levels continue to rise, the collective group can be expected to handle more complicated performances.

“I’m just really excited about this group because they’ve gotten so much better so fast,” he said. “Every section is stronger and better than we were, so we can have a show with more wrinkles, layers and complexity. All they have to do is put in the work.”

LHHS introduces JROTC

While awaiting official certification from US Dept. of Defense, the program will be known as Panther Cadets

BY ELIZABETH DE LOS SANTOS

STAFF WRITER

Liberty Hill High School is starting a new program for students interested in character growth and citizenship development.

“The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is a program for students to learn to be self-confident, self-driven and to pay attention to details so that they can become better citizens in society,” said Jonathan Lemenager, instructor for the new JROTC program. “We’ll focus on studying skills, time management skills, leadership skills, decision-making, and problem-solving. Of course, there will also be fitness and wellness to help shape you physically, mentally, and spiritually. So, it’s a program to better students.” Lemenager added that the program is not a military preparation class as some might think. “It creates a foundation of success for students that want to go into ROTC to become commissioned officers in the military. Still, our primary focus is to make students better citizens,” he said.

Lemenager has served 20 years in the Army as an Army Communicator.

“I’ve supported multiple units, from infantry to engineers and medical units. I’ve been stationed in Germany, Fort Bragg, Fort Dix, New Jersey, and then Fort Hood. And I have a couple of overseas tours. So I just have a lot of experience from 20 years,” Lemenager added.

After he retired from the Army, he took a year off before searching for (and finding) the perfect job to impact the community. He applied, and before he knew it, he was the first JROTC instructor for Liberty Hill High School.

Because the program is in the early stages, it is not yet an official JROTC program. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, becoming certified requires at least two instructors and 100 students. Currently, there are 65 students enrolled. Until they are officially certified, the program will be known as the Panther Cadet Program. However, it will be run in the same manner as JROTC and follow the same curriculum.

There will be a slight distinction between the Panther Cadet Program and JROTC in students’ uniforms. Students will wear a panther cadet uniform until the program is

Back to School Briefs

LHISD required to transition back to paid school meals

Liberty Hill ISD is transitioning back to paid school meals and offering Free and Reduced-priced school meals based on eligibility. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress authorized spending that allowed schools to serve free meals for all students. Those funds are not authorized to continue for the 2022-2023 school year. As a result, Liberty Hill ISD must return to charging for school meals and offering free and reduced-price meals based on student eligibility.

Decisions regarding payment for school meals are made at the federal-government level, not by the school district, nutrition team or Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA).

The dedicated staff at Liberty Hill ISD is looking forward to serving healthy, balanced meals to students in the new school year.

Families are encouraged to complete the Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals, also available online at libertyhill.txed.net, for Child Nutrition Services and return the completed form online or to any school office. Trustees approve changes to student dress code

The Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustees approved a revised dress code for schools across the district on July 18.

Perhaps the most notable change is the authorization of male students to wear earrings, which was previously prohibited. In addition, small nostril studs are now allowed for both genders. However, bridge and septum piercings along with all other facial piercings are still banned.

Another notable change to district policy is the ability for both genders to feature highofficially certified. Once it is permitted, students will be able to wear military uniforms. Despite this divergence, students will still experience the cadet program and carry out regular JROTC tasks, such as presenting the flags during football games.

“Anybody can be successful in JROTC or the Panther Cadet program,” says Lemenger. “As long as they have a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, and they come in not wanting to quit when presented with challenges, they will do well.”

Lemenager invites all students to join the new cadet program. He emphasizes that his goal with this program is to have “confident students, capable of making great decisions for themselves, solving problems, achieving their dreams and being successful.”

Students can join while signing up for classes or by speaking to a school counselor.

“We’re really looking forward to this program,” Lemenager said. “ I think it’s gonna

Jonathan Lemenager is the instructor of JROTC/Panther Cadet Program at Liberty Hill High School. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH DE LOS SANTOS be a lot of fun. I think it’ll be very successful. So yeah, just looking forward to building it and having Liberty Hill be proud of their cadet program.” To learn more, visit usarmyjrotc.com.

lights of any color in their hair, but full hair colors that are unnatural and spiked hair are still prohibited.

According to Liberty Hill ISD Director of Secondary Education Travis Motal, a comprehensive survey was conducted over several months to solicit opinions from students, staff and parents concerning changes they would most like to see to the dress code policy.

“One of the biggest things we heard from students was they wanted consistent enforcement regardless of the rules,” said Motal. “Parents wanted clearer language, so we got rid of words like ‘excessively’ that were subjective.”

Superintendent Steve Snell said although the dress code may not seem as if it deserves so much attention, it serves as a vanguard for what the district wishes to represent.

“I would say the vast majority of our students wear what they want and it falls within the dress code,” he said. “But, we still want our community to have a voice.”

Officers from the Liberty Hill Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Liberty Hill ISD Police Department participated in a two-day active shooter training in early July at Liberty Hill High School.

Officials from DPS ran the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) developed by Texas State University.

The training instructed officers on the tactics and techniques most effective at neutralizing an active-shooter threat, including shooting and moving, room entry and breaching, culminating in force-on-force scenarios.

In order to make the entrances at LHHS more secure, plans are to add police offices at each, including large windows allowing an officer has a clear view of the approach.