West Ranch High School marching band director Rod Schueller was joined by some of the Wildcats band members at last week’s William S. Hart Union High School District governing board meeting as they were recognized by the board for placing first in Division 4A at the 2023 Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association championships.
The title is the sixth for the Wildcats as they just beat out Hart High School for the top spot with their show titled “Sakura.” West Ranch also claimed first in both the auxiliary and percussion categories.
Schueller thanked all of the boosters and coaches, but most of all, gave credit to the students for making him a champion in his first season in charge of the marching band at West Ranch.
“At the end of the day, what you need above all of that are talented, dedicated, hard-working, focused, responsible, energetic and driven students,” Schueller said. “And that is what led to our success this year.”
West Ranch High School Principal Robert Fisher was on hand to see Schueller and the band receive their certificates of recognition from the board. The band was represented by section leaders, drum majors and color guard captains.
“We are blessed to have some of our student leadership team here to take part in this recognition,” Schueller said, “and our principal, of course, Robert Fisher, who’s been a great support system for me through the fall semester and now into the spring of my first year at West Ranch.”
Each governing board member was presented with a gold medal by the band in honor of the championship.
The SoCal Marching Band Championships took place in November, with West Ranch and Hart performing at Downey High School in Division 4A. Saugus High School placed second in Division 3A at Ramona High School in Riverside and Valencia High School took second in Division 2A at Long Beach City College.
Canyon High School and Golden Valley High School also competed, in Division 2A and Division 3A, respectively.
