The second week of Band Camp at Highland Park High School has now started with a shift of focus; endurance. As their March-A-Thon 5K quickly approaches the marching band students have to make sure they can sustain high toes and perfect form for long periods of time. Not only are they prepping for March-A-Thon, they also have to look at the big picture, the "Halftime Show" for football season. All students received their coordinate cards detailing where they have to be at every second of the eight minute long show. All the students are assigned specific coordinate cards either Junior Varsity or Varsity. Varsity students will be the ones performing in the contest and the halftime show; and the Junior Varsity will be in this years visual crew with new unique props. The stress on these students ramps up as everyone is hustling and perfecting their moves and sound. Not only do they have to look good, but they have to sound spectacular with no music in front of them.  Every day they have to memorize 15-20 measures of music. The students march for 4-5 hours a day, five days a week.

This week spotlights are John Clifford, a junior (and the brass captain); Dylan Wolford, a sophomore; and Sydney McDuffie, a varsity freshman (an extreme honor) and recipient of the "Beast of The Week". These students give 100% effort every second of every day helping others and making the band a true family.

John Clifford has always been a varsity marcher and is one of the top five best marchers in the Highlander Band. Watch out for his flawless toes-up and ideal upperbody positon. John was section leader last year, and is now captain overseeing even more people. John plays tuba and is a close second chair in the top band. His positive attitude and firm leadership make him a good role model for the underclassmen.

Dylan Wolford is the most improved sophomore. She moved from second band to second chair in first band which is a tough competition. She plays clarinet and is Sophomore Representative for the Highlander Band. Dylan oversees the freshmen and welcomes them and works to lift their spirits. During the March-A-Thon watch out for her improving maintenance of a constant height while marching.

Sydney McDuffie plays tuba which weighs 35 pounds and for a freshman girl to keep that lifted and to stay relaxed is impressive in itself. She also holds a record for being the first female tuba player in the band. Sydney is a very hard worker and is one of the few freshmen this year to receive a varsity spot; the reason being is that her upper body is spot-on perfection. Last week she won "Beast Of The Week" meaning she was the most improved and efficient freshman, a coveted title by all students. Those of you going to watch the March-A-Thon, look out for Sydney - the girl with impressive endurance.

All-in-all, each student in the Highlander Band brings something different and unique to the closeknit family. Make sure to catch the action of the first annual March-A-Thon on August 16th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and cheer on the Highlander Band as they begin this new tradition. All donations will go to the visuals and props for the show for this and later years. To contibute online, go to: www.hphsband.com/fundraising -- and click on “Donate”.  You can also elect to provide a name on the second page by PayPal where it says, “Add special instructions to the seller”, so that your gift will go toward a specific student's goal. The Highlander Band is recognized by the IRS as a charitable organization so they will provide you with a receipt of your donation for your records. Any amount of donation is extremely appreciated. Many thanks in advance for your contributions.

-Let the music continue to please all who hear it-

**Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are mine as a member of the Highlander Band**                   

Since the summer has only one month left till school it is good to get your grill on as much as you can. The chicken epecially is known to be one of the healthier meat options out there and only takes a couple minutes for it to cook. 

For an extra kick to your ordinary chicken try marinating with a stronger dressing and let the chicken soak in a plastic bag overnight. Once lunch or dinner rolls around and your craving for your chicken, carefully turn on your grill to medium and place the chicken on the grill. Check every 3-4 minutes depending how high you set your grill on for. Flip the chicken once you notice a golden glaze to it. Then once both sides seem perfect on the ouside do what is called "Butterfly it", meaning take the chicken off the grill and cut right down the middle, but not all the way through just so the pieces are still attaching. Then check for any raw spots such as very light white with a pink glow or deep red/pink. Any sign of rawness needs to be put back on the grill. Put the raw two wings back on the grill and check in another 3-4 minutes depending on how raw the chicken was. 

You really must pay close attention to the pink because if digested can cause medical concerns.

After it looks good on the inisde take it back inside your kitchen and add it to your favorite meal. Chicken is a healthy and great source of protein as the hot days of summer are here.

National Charity League of Heart of Dallas, (in the Park Cities Area),  mother and daughter teams take down Brookwood. This chapter of NCL drives outside the "Bubble" into Brookshire. In Brookshire a certain Commuity thrives, Brookwood. The only one in the nation Brookwood's mission is to create a purpose and living community for disabled adults. This privately funded Communtiy takes adults from all over the country and now has over 250 citizens and much more on a waitlist citizens in 11 homes of various types.

Here they teach citizens basics; the Brookwood Community focuses on three aspects of life: God, Fitness, Work, and Social. The citzens go to their church every sunday and know the main parts, that God created everything and everyone, and that God loves you. With these basic descriptions of their religion it is not prejudice to one specific religion. For Fitness they citizens have an indoor pool and bike to their community work. They have swim aerobics for one to two hours six days a week. Although they are adults the Brookwood Community feels like they should give importance and meaning to their citzens life. The residents work at various different jobs depending on their personality and sell their merchandise for an average of six million dollars of revenue each year.when you got to Brookwood you may ask them what they are famous for, meaning their most valued characteristic whether their job or other talent, they all have something to bring forth. After they work five times a week they have a special guest or event every weekend. From baseball games to musicals these citizens are known statewide to be the best auidence around. 

The NCL Heart of Dallas comes twice a year to put on a talent show with each house. In an all-day event the mother-daughter teams pick an overall theme for the talent show. On July 12th they collaborated on a Disney themed talent show. NCL then split up into houses were each house  picked a movie and song for the citizens to perfom and puzzles, crafts, and outerwear to enthuse the residents. 

After rehersing their dances and memorizing the songs the residences were ready to perform. Each house was brought to the stage and sang and dance their version for the judge pannel. With all the houses having a blast and celebrating who they are everyone was a winner that night.