Valary Smith
Sep 29, 2026
Parent Meeting and Volunteer Coordination 9/29/2026
Past and Future Competitions
- The team’s recent competition at Liberty was not officially scored. An unofficial result placed the band second by one point, with a two- or three-point margin over the other groups. The director described this as an appropriate position at this stage of the season.
- The upcoming weekend competition in Sprague will follow a camp-life model similar to the Liberty Clinic, requiring chaperones and support for food, props, setup, and takedown.
- Parking at the weekend competition is extremely limited. Except for bus riders and designated camp-setup personnel, attendees should expect to park at Kaiser Permanente and use the shuttle. Allow 60 minutes before the performance; the show begins at 10 a.m. and runs all day.
- Students should bring a lunch or substantial snacks for the weekend competition, with energy-providing food for travel and the day’s performances. Snacks taken on the bus must have a closed lid and no glass.
- A student meal survey remains open; a burrito bowl was leading, with the final meal to be posted after voting closes.
- One hot meal will be served at competitions. Gluten-free, non-dairy, and vegetarian options are normally planned, but cross-contamination remains possible because food is not prepared in a commercial kitchen. Separate meals can be prepared only for allergies reported on the food-allergy form.
- Volunteers serving for the full day, such as chaperones or camp setup/takedown staff, may have a ticket covered; tickets cannot be covered for every volunteer role. Volunteer scheduling is intended to allow parents to watch their students perform.
- The weekend competition uses two warm-up sites; all performances are at the football stadium. The band expects a prelims performance and a finals performance, with placement among the later-performing groups.
Grants Pass Overnight Trip
- Equipment, the food trailer, and U-Hauls will be loaded on Thursday, October 8. Luggage will be loaded Friday morning.
- Student call time is Friday, October 9, at 9:30 a.m.; buses are planned to depart at 11:00 a.m. Students should travel in comfortable clothes, bring their uniforms but not wear them, and bring a sack lunch and snacks. Dinner will be provided on Friday.
- The group will stay at South Middle School in Grants Pass. The exact Friday-night schedule is still being developed.
- Saturday’s competition is at Grants Pass High School. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are planned for students on Saturday. The prelims performance is scheduled for 2:25; finals are expected around 8:05–8:35.
- Families traveling separately should allow four to four and a half hours to reach Grants Pass, depending on traffic and possible college-game traffic.
- The group will return to South Middle School after Saturday’s competition, then depart Sunday around 8 or 9 a.m. and is expected to arrive at Century around 3:00 p.m. Lunch on the return trip will need to be purchased or otherwise provided.
- Chaperones staying with the group must be district approved; those not already approved may not be able to complete the process in time. Chaperones may drive separately but still stay with the group and support the event.
- Gym-floor lodging requires compact sleep gear, such as a sleeping bag and pillow; compact inflatable mats are acceptable. Large cots are discouraged because of limited space.
- A single-use bathroom will be available for any student who needs it. Other bathroom use was not assigned by the director.
- Students who have not passed off their music will have additional music work during the trip. Students may simplify parts they cannot play successfully, but must pass off the version they will perform.
- The director offers music tutoring from 3:45 to 4:45 daily, with section leaders also available.
- Chaperones should bring behavioral concerns to the director rather than issuing threats or acting as the primary disciplinarian. School rules apply during the trip.
- The Band app will be used for trip communication, but the director does not reliably monitor it for urgent messages; urgent matters should be called or texted directly to the director.
- Students should bring their complete uniform, marching shoes, long black socks, instrument, sheet music, casual clothes, light jacket, hygiene supplies, modest sleepwear, towel, snacks, phone charger, and optional spending money. All belongings, especially sleep gear, should be labeled.
- Students should pack lightly because school buses and uhauls have limited luggage space.
- Prescription medications must be submitted during the designated medication check-in with the correct medication bottle, exactly the number of doses required for the trip, and a separate form for each medication. All medication materials should be placed in one Ziploc bag. “As needed” medications may require an appropriate estimated quantity.
- Students must obtain permission before posting TikTok videos involving band trucks or the group. Inappropriate content could result in removal from the group because of reputational risk.
Transportation Funding and Showcase Revenue
- The school will not provide bus funding, according to the director’s meeting with the principal. The previously adopted transportation fee is still currently needed to cover bus costs.
- The Grants Pass trip requires three buses at $2,600 per bus, or more than $7,000 before other trip expenses. The director stated that Grants Pass may need to be discontinued if transportation costs cannot be offset.
- The hosted Showcase is the main opportunity to generate additional funds. It costs $6,000 for the circuit and $4,000 per day for the stadium, while entry fees go to the circuit; ticket sales are the primary revenue source.
- Showcase admission is $20. The band does not control the admission price. Attendees who volunteer for Showcase-specific roles receive free admission for themselves only, not for family or friends.
- Families were encouraged to invite attendees to Showcase; the director suggested a goal of 10 guests per student as a way to increase ticket revenue.
Showcase: October 17
- Showcase will be held October 17. The first band performs at 1 p.m., and the event is expected to end around 9 p.m. Century is scheduled as the final performer, at 7:40, followed by awards.
- There are 103 stadium-side volunteer positions, plus additional band-side, prop, chaperone, concessions, and limited food-service needs. Most shifts were shortened to make volunteering more manageable.
- Background checks are required for most roles involving interaction with children; roles not requiring approval are identified in their descriptions. Grandparents and other family members may fill roles that do not require HSD approval.
- Volunteers should arrive 15–30 minutes before their shift, park in spectator parking via Gate A, check in through the tunnel under the stadium, receive a badge, and return badges and walkie-talkies at checkout.
- Volunteers should remain at their assigned role until relieved to avoid coverage gaps, particularly in critical roles such as first aid, band check-in, and field entry/exit.
- Volunteers with later shifts may obtain their wristband early, watch performances, and return for their shift.
- For difficult situations, volunteers should contact Showcase leads or security rather than handle the situation themselves.
- Some roles require a cell phone and charger, particularly swag station and ticket sales.
- First-aid volunteers must be HSD approved and CPR/first-aid certified. Two people are needed per shift; this circuit-required role was difficult to fill last year.
- Other roles include parking attendants at Gates A and B, band check-in, security/golf-cart support, volunteer check-in, judge hosting, gatekeeping, ticket and program sales, wristband checks, judge runners, band field entry/exit, warm-up-area monitoring, raffle, and merchandise.
- The high school culinary class will provide the meal at Showcase, reducing band food-service needs.
- Parents may sign up for multiple shifts. Century Band performers cannot sign up for formal Showcase shifts because of their competition-day responsibilities, though students may sometimes help informally if available.
- General concert etiquette applies: no entering or exiting during performances, and cheering should be supportive and appropriate.
- Program advertising provides student-account fundraising: 80% of the amount charged for an ad goes to the student’s account. Ads may be purchased by businesses, families, or supporters, including senior recognition ads.
- The ad-sales deadline stated was October 12 at noon. Families were asked to notify the organizers when an ad is placed so it is not delayed or omitted from the Showcase program.
- Showcase information and advertising materials are available through the Band app, Team Dunlop Facebook page, and showcase@centuryband.org.
Additional Volunteer Opportunities and Meeting Notes
- Shako wraps are expected to be printed and ready for assembly the following day. Organizers may add an assembly opportunity to SignUpGenius or coordinate with interested volunteers after the meeting.
- The band has USB chargers but needs 10 additional USB-C-to-USB-C cords and charging bricks.
- Intel increased its matching donation program to $1,000. Intel volunteers may submit volunteer time for matching support to the Century band; a special September deadline was described as “by tomorrow.”
- Volunteer hours should be entered in the tracking spreadsheet for verification.
- Concessions opportunities are available for three Central Catholic games: this Friday, the 16th, and the 30th. There are 36 Showcase-related concessions spots, with shifts limited to three hours and ending at 7:30 so volunteers can watch performances.
- Volunteers age 14 or 15 may participate in concessions with a food-handler card and an accompanying adult. A background check is generally not required for concessions; an OLCC credential is not required except for cashier roles where beer is sold.
- Concessions sign-ups are available through CutTime and by contacting concessions@centuryband.org.
- The next parent meeting is scheduled for October 13, a Tuesday.
Attendees:
Valary Smith
Christina McClelland
Karina Navarrete
Katie Paredes
Dustin Riddle
Natalie Walker
Lisa Cavanaugh
Jamie Hoxsey
Cris Travis
Mary Keller
Mandy Tasa
Michael Minervini
Heidi Glaske
Kimberley Smith
Ruwantha Jayasinghe
Tracy Bollman
Becky Takara
Amy Wood
Maria Capponi
Jaydee Brown
Liana Duran
Masako Ibaraki
Autziris Cruz Manzo
Carmen Lopez Jimenez
Tito Jimenez
Angie Lausche
Tori Rask
Kalena Lorraine-Chavez
Sheryl Hughes
Rosa Guzman
Dia Maeding
Christine Carpenter
Cynthia Bates
Monica Tran
Vu Tran
Bruce Lee
Laura McCready
Kim Crawford
Shaun Ryeshar
April Saechao
Sou Saechao
Zhi Lee
Jeff Chavez
Wolfgang Hoffman
Rachel Sours
Maranda Hernandez
Crystal Daniel
Karen Bromley
Brooke Ives
Erin Salter
Shang-Hsin Wei
Hong-Wen Huang
Marc Boberg
Christina Saribay