Valary Smith
Oct 13, 2026
Parent meeting 10/13/2026
Opening and recent trip
Organizers thanked parents, students, and others who supported the band and helped with cleanup.
A special thank-you was given to Elmer for using a U-Haul that became stranded on the roadside, and to those who helped afterward.
Families were reminded to continue logging their volunteer hours, including credit for attending this meeting.
A staff member praised the students’ behavior and participation during the recent trip. The students performed well, made friends with other bands, and took part in a clothespin-decorating activity where they tried to clip their decorated clothespins onto others unnoticed.
Grants Pass was praised as a welcoming host. Dunlop said trips like this help students build friendships and are worth continuing, beyond the value of winning trophies. Dunlop also shared that trophies had been placed in a school display case and that students had commented on them.
Century Showcase preparations
Schedule and student logistics
Friday loading is scheduled for 6:00–8:00 p.m.
The showcase is scheduled for Saturday, October 17. The schedule and a Google Sheet timeline are posted near the top of the Band App; Dylan posts the schedule there.
Saturday’s doors are expected to open at 8:00 a.m. Hair braiders are expected to be available, but families who can braid at home were encouraged to do so.
Call time is 8:30 a.m. and buses are expected to leave at 9:00 a.m.
Students will rehearse and spend time on the field and in the stadium/locker-room area. They will warm up and later watch other groups.
Families should send lunch or plan for students to buy food at concessions. The band will provide snacks and water; organizers noted that students may be hungry throughout the day.
The schedule given in the meeting was:
Showcase begins at 1:00 p.m.
Century’s performance is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.
Prelims awards follow.
Dinner is planned for 4:15 p.m., provided by the Century Culinary Class. Organizers said there would be some help serving and that meals should also cover chaperones and adults.
The final performance is scheduled for 7:40 p.m.
Pictures and awards follow the final performance. The speaker briefly corrected the order while describing these.
The return was initially described as possibly after 10:00 p.m.; organizers said unloading and unpacking could make it closer to 11:00 p.m.
Volunteers, donations, and event operations
Families had signed up for stadium-side jobs, band-side tasks, and concessions. Volunteers helping in any capacity—including concessions or stadium work—will receive a wristband. Split shifts may be arranged.
Organizers said they still needed:
Evening parking-lot volunteers, approximately 5:00–8:00 p.m., at both entrances.
Additional first-aid coverage, including a second evening position and adult coverage from 3:00–6:00 p.m.
Warm-up area monitors to direct bands, keep them off the dirt, and help manage traffic on the field.
More help moving props on and off the field, especially with new front panels. A golf cart was suggested as a possible aid.
Two student volunteers were described as CPR/first-aid certified. An adult covering first aid would also need to be certified. The organizers wanted the two students to be able to work together and noted that the role could provide NHS or medical-program experience.
For field monitors, organizers identified gaps in coverage: two people were needed from 11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.; the 1:30–4:00 p.m. period was also discussed; 4:00–6:30 p.m. was empty; and two people were listed for 6:30–9:00 p.m. Split shifts were possible. Parking-lot and warm-up-area roles did not require registered-volunteer approval.
Families were asked to consider donating snacks and canopies. Donated canopies should be labeled—suggested method: painter’s tape and a Sharpie on a canopy leg—so they can be identified and returned.
Organizers planned to resend the snack and canopy request separately from the other volunteer information to make the reminders easier to follow.
Fundraising and inviting guests
Mr. Dunlop urged families to invite people to the showcase, noting that attendance makes the event more enjoyable for performers and is important to its fundraising success.
He said admission is the event’s primary source of revenue; money from participating bands goes to the circuit. There were fewer bands than in prior years, which could mean less income because of less participants.
Families were encouraged to bring guests.
Teachers and administrators had been invited to attend without charge. Free entry for Century students with school ID was discussed, and decided that admission would be $5 per student.
The speaker said that if someone deserving could not afford admission, families should first consider paying for them and could also contact organizers, who would try to help them attend. The speaker preferred having people see the show, while also emphasizing the need to raise money.
The speaker praised the facility and the band’s show and shared positive comments received from a booster representative about the show and color guard.
Upcoming performances and transportation
The band is scheduled to perform at two school assemblies next Wednesday, outdoors on the turf because the gym cannot accommodate everyone at once. The assemblies will be separated by roughly 40 minutes.
Some students attend Brown and will need to be checked out through their school and brought over. Families were asked to call Brown ahead of time. If a parent plans to take additional students, that should also be arranged in advance.
Organizers said they would send the timing and logistics to all families, not only Brown families. Families were advised to coordinate with the school about attendance and to avoid having students miss more school than necessary where practical.
On October 30, Brown Band and possibly some grade-school bands may visit and perform at the stadium. This and the assemblies are weather-dependent.
The band also plans to perform at the homecoming football game. A playoff performance may be possible depending on the team’s results.
A parent asked who would pay for buses to football performances. Mr. Dunlop said the band would not pay for transportation to a school football game and that the school had agreed to cover the bus cost.
Rehearsals, schedule changes, and safety
Organizers thanked families for adjusting to a schedule change and apologized for the disruption. They said students who could not attend because of the change would not automatically be barred from performing, but they would need to learn material they missed.
The reason given was safety: students who do not know a movement or prop placement can create hazards.
Saturday practice at the stadium was planned in part to familiarize students with the judges’ location and field orientation, check sound levels with the sound technician, and help students learn material they may have missed.
Attendees
Valary Smith
Christina McClelland
Christina Saribay
Wayne Foraker
Elizabeth Martinez
Katie Paredes
Kimberly Smith
Esteban Acosta
Natalie Walker
Maria Capponi
April Saechao
Isuru Salpitikorala
Craig Bromley
Crystal Daniel
Hong-Wen Huang
Charlene Bradetich
Rob Fagliano
Christi Fagliano
Wolfgang Hoffman
Lisa Hoffman
Becky Takara
Robert Knoke
Marlicia Thaxton
Tracy Bollman
Heidi Glaske
Jamie Hoxsey
Layton Nicholes
Mary Keller
Amy Wood
Tori Rask
Lydia Laurance
Lisa Cavanaugh