FFHS senior band saluted

FORT FRANCES—At Tuesday night’s regular meeting of the Rainy River District School Board, Fort Frances High School principal Gord McCabe presented an honour he felt was long overdue.
The FFHS senior band—one of the most prestigious and widely recognized extra-curricular organizations in the school—was honoured with the board’s monthly “Excellence with Pride” award.
“I’m correcting an injustice,” McCabe told trustees, seniors band members, and several parents gathered in the gymnasium at Robert Moore School.
He said he thought the band had been recognized in the past and then learned they hadn’t been. He offered his apologizes since the principal generally submits the recommendation for the award of excellence.
“Under the leadership of Mr. John Dutton, this concert band has travelled widely, including many domestic trips and foreign voyages, including England, France, Germany, Greece, and an upcoming trip to Italy in 2008,” McCabe noted.
He noted students involved in the music program have acted as goodwill ambassadors for the school, the community, and Rainy River District.
And he added although the band trips have become an integral part of Fort High’s culture, the enthusiasm shared by the band members is not founded on the promise of trips.
“Students become involved in the band because of their love of music,” McCabe stressed.
“Whether it is playing daily during class, at the Christmas or spring concerts, graduation, or on the back of a flatbed in the Canada Day parade, the senior band has been a source of recognition and pride for the Fort Frances High School for many years.”
The senior band also has earned many awards, most notably at the Rainy River Festival for the Performing Arts.
Many of the students begin playing in Grade 9 with the junior band, then perform with the intermediate band in Grade 10 before moving on to the senior band in their senior years of high school.
And the credit for the success of the program must go to the band director, John Dutton.
“Mr. Dutton has put in countless hours with students, not only in class but also at lunch hour, evening, and early morning rehearsals,” McCabe noted. “He has travelled with the band and has served as the chief organizer for fundraising efforts.”
McCabe added band trips have provided hundreds of Fort High students with a unique educational experience that combines travel and musical performance.
“It is not unusual for students to be teary-eyed when they perform with the band for the final time,” he said. “The dedication and boundless energy and enthusiasm that Mr. Dutton has brought to the program for over two decades cannot be adequately described.
“His legacy will be the thousands of students who have developed a love of music through his work,” McCabe continued, noting many of the students Dutton has taught have gone on to have very successful careers after their years at Fort High.
“I really believe this program is part of what makes the school the school I love so much, that the students love so much, and that the staff love,” he remarked.
“Many of you have heard of ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus’ and I would not trade Mr. Dutton for Mr. Holland any day.”
McCabe noted the monthly award must be shared with all band members who have come before, but they also recognize the excellence of the 2007-08 edition of the FFHS senior band and their director.
A small version of the more than 60-member band played two numbers for the board, then chairman Dan Belluz presented band president Rebecca Mills with a plaque.
(Fort Frances Times)