The end of the school year is just around the corner and when the year ends, space is made for something new. The Wayne Hills Band Program is no exception to that fact.

Just like how the Student Government has Student Council Elections for each grade, the Band has elections for the Band Council. The Band Council is similar to the Student Government but specifically helps navigate, run, and lead the over one hundred students involved in Symphonic Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Winterguard. The elections for the upcoming school year were held on May 31 and June 2, and the results were revealed within the block. Each candidate had to write a less than one-minute speech about why they should have the role they want and present it to all band members present during the Symphonic Band period. Ultimately, the final results for the incoming council are:

President – Brandon Huang

Vice President – Rafael Enriquez

Secretary – Julianna Stier

Recruiting Officer – Erin Han

Publicity Officer – Ryan Cioletti

Social Media Manager – Eneias Olensky

Uniform Manager – Janae Murray

Equipment Managers – Maddy Colucci, Samuel Dorfman, Pratham Kumar, and Sean Tully

Librarians – Fernanda Badillo, Nicole Gelber, Olivia Gelber, Noah Kim, and Sara Mahmudi

Drum Majors – Sean Moebius and Miranda Huhn

Drum Captain – Ryan Cioletti

Color Guard Captain – Prisma Vaughn

Color Guard Lieutenant – Lexie Guevarez

On June 5, the new council was officially introduced and sworn in at the annual Band Awards Dinner.

When learning of their roles within the Band Council, rising Seniors Brandon Huang (President) and Samuel Dorfman (Equipment Manager) had a few words to say regarding the elections and their thoughts. The newly elected Band President, expressed that, “It felt like a dream honestly. I looked back at myself in the past and never would have thought I would ever gain a position like that. I felt really relieved to know people trust me to be a good leader.”

As for Dorfman’s reaction to his re-elected position as an Equipment Manager, he said, “I felt relieved when I learned that I was re-elected for this position. Being an equipment manager has been one of my favorite parts of the band season. I enjoy helping out the band whenever I can . . . I realized I would be the only equipment manager running with prior experience and I was hoping that the band would see this.”

When asked about his goals as President, Huang stated, “I want to prioritize providing more social opportunities for the band as I feel like a lot of that has been lost due to COVID, and I’ve also felt the effects really badly . . . So my hopes are I can provide a more comforting environment for all by focusing on the social aspect of band.”

As a senior leader, Dorfman expressed his feelings as well: “I guess that I’m happy that it happened and sad it’s over. I also realize that it’s not exactly over yet, and have a whole season to look forward to. The added responsibilities of being a senior are something that I look forward to. I am excited to train underclassmen . . . I know that the percussion section and band will be in good hands when my grade leaves.”

Unlike the rest majority of the Band Council, the positions of Drum Major, Drum Captain, and Colorguard Captain/Lieutenant are not positions that were the result of elections. The people who received their roles had to audition and the band staff consulted with one another before making their decisions. The audition for Drum Major had band staff but also included an alumnus, the outgoing Band President, and Drum Majors.

Speaking of outgoing members, the outgoing council consists of:

President – Leizl Carlo

Vice President – Kalyani Karmaker

Secretary – Miranda Huhn

Recruiting Officer – Sean Moebius

Publicity Officer – Michael Tardy

Social Media Manager – Andrew Dector 

Uniform Manager – Janar Murray

Equipment Managers – Samuel Dorfman, William Marosits, John Syvertsen, Rafael Enriquez

Librarians – Amy Hecht, Samantha Huerta, Julianna Stier, Erin Han

Drum Majors – Heather Boronow and Morgan Gaines

Drum Captain – Tyler Weinmann 

Color Guard Captains – Gianna Passaro and Jessica Smith

Rookie Representative – Delaney Larusso

You’ll note that some names are in the Council for both years and that is because not just Seniors are in the Council but individuals in any grade. There was no  Guard Lieutenant this past year because of the Co-Captain situation. Not only that but the position of Rookie Representative will not be decided until the end of August, specifically at the very end of Band Camp, and will be given to an incoming Freshman who displays leadership attributes and excelled in marching and musicality. And with that, good luck to the new band council. The standards were set high for this new group!