For many years, students who have gone through our music program, have waited to hear our school’s name called out to qualify for Area Finals and State at our Area Marching Competition. Every band in the state of Texas must earn a 1st division at the UIL Region Marching Competition in order to qualify for the next level of our playoffs which is UIL Area Marching Competition. Our Sweepstakes award (1st division which were straight one’s) came on October 17, 2015 in San Antonio’s Gustafson Stadium. We qualified to advance to UIL Area Competition in Corpus Christi, TX on Saturday, October 24, 2015. However due to inclement weather, our competition was moved to Gregory-Portland on Wednesday, October 28, 2015. Our C.C. Winn Band performed at 10:15 a.m.therefore we had to wait until 5:30 p.m. for all 31 bands from Region 11, 14,15, and 28 to finish performing for our Prelims session. Every band is recognized for their participation in the Area Marching Contest at 5:30 p.m. The top ten Finalists are then announced shortly after the conclusion of those recognitions. Every band student, director, family member and friend hold their breath as the announcer starts announcing the ten bands who qualify to preform again for Finals, which start at 8:00 p.m. The announcer calls out five bands before we hear our school’s name “C.C. Winn from Eagle Pass” called out in front of a packed stadium where students have to stand outside of the stadium because of the lack of sitting room. It brought us the music staff, joy to see our students celebrate the huge accomplishment. Many congratulatory texts, posts on social media, and phone calls were made to our students and music staff after word spread throughout our community. Our C.C. Winn band performed at 9:00 p.m. among nine other bands. Six out of ten were going to advance to the UIL State competition which is going to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. Our band came out in 7th place and missed advancing to UIL State Marching Competition by one point.
Our program accomplished more than just advancing to Area Finals which is the first in our school’s history. This accomplishment united a community of marching band followers. For example, many community members from C.C. Winn, Eagle Pass HS, Del Rio, San Antonio, and Austin (just to name a few) were united as they cheered our accomplishment of being selected as one of ten Area Finalists. Many citizens were on pins and needles as they awaited our Finals performance and the results to see who was going to move on to the UIL State Marching Competition.
Our music program has dedicated our accomplishment to all the former band students and band directors who went through Mr. Brian Harper, Mr. Raul Gonzalez, and Mr. Carlos Martinez. These individuals (former students and staff) sacrificed and paved the way for our students to have the facilities and equipment we have today and for that, we give them thanks. We would also like to thank Mr. Diaz and his administrators, our school board members, and Mr. Gonzalez, our EPISD Superintendent. All of them have given us the love and support needed to nourish our student’s education. We are eternally grateful of all they have done for the Arts and our respective music departments.
We will continue to display our commitment and work ethic as we continue to positively represent EPISD and our Eagle Pass community as we look forward into our future.
