JC band makes community proud

As this is being written, the outcome of the annual Indiana State Fair marching band contest is not yet known.
But one thing is certain, even before the Marching Patriots take to the track or the judges begin to tally their scores: Jay County High School and the entire Jay County community will be represented with pride, class and a work ethic worth bragging about.
That’s clear in advance of the competition because ever since the school’s inception a tradition of excellence has been built and maintained.
There are plenty of people responsible for that tradition. Leaders like Dave Humbert and Pete Vogler and Bev Arnold and Kelly Smeltzer and a few dozen others who have set the standard for decades take honors, obviously.
But so does the rotating summer staff of young people — often former Marching Patriots themselves — who dedicate long, hot weeks to bringing out the best in the kids.
And, of course, it’s the kids themselves, the ones who showed up to countless practices and competitions, who sweated under a sweltering sun.
In fact, it’s not just the kids who took to the track Friday as this year’s edition of the Marching Patriots.
It’s a generation of Marching Patriots who, year after year, have made Jay County a perennial top competitor. This year’s band and last year’s band and the year before that, all the way back to the beginning of JCHS.
That’s how you build a tradition of excellence: Set your goals high, meet them, then set them higher and meet those too.
Then repeat again and again as needed.
Continue to do that, and you’ll continue to make this community proud. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]