The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District board on Nov. 3 recognized Middleton High School's marching band and color guard for placing second in Class 4A at the Wisconsin School Music Association state competition.

The board praised the ensemble's season, which included first-place finishes at the Waukesha North Bandfest, the Stoughton Marching Invitational and the Soft Prairie Marching Invite. "We are proud to recognize Middleton High School's amazing marching band and Color Guard for their second place finish at the Wisconsin School Music Association Marching Band State Competition Championships," a district presenter said during the meeting.

The marching program includes more than 200 students. The board noted the ensemble won three of four caption awards: Best Color Guard (fourth consecutive year), Best Musical Presentation (second consecutive year) and Best Percussion (first time in school history). The season's show theme was "Cleared for Takeoff," and staff credited repertoire ranging from M83 to Gershwin and the work of student drum majors Haley Gubowski, Asha Zafarachula and Gavin Hameed.

Band directors named in the presentation included Eric Rothacker, Doug Brown and Michael Gervor. Color guard coaches were listed as Casey Graff and Madeline Coleman; percussion coaches included Patrick Hoffman, Sebastian Duarte, Haley LaValle, Tanner Day and Charlie Fenske. The board also recognized a team of staff and volunteers supporting the ensemble.

Board members applauded the students and asked them to introduce themselves and their roles. Several students and staff described leadership positions such as section leaders and drum majors and thanked coaches for their support.

The recognition was presented near the start of the Nov. 3 meeting; no board action was required or taken beyond the acknowledgment.