Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Congratulations to the high school band

The Dartmouth High marching band placed first in a national competition in Annapolis for the second straaight year.
Congratulations, band members, staff, and the hard working parents who support the program.

The Standard Times article on the band's win is here.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

So my taxes went for kids to travel to maryland and I am still paying for trash pick up

Anonymous said...

Of course the opening comment would be negative for something like this.

Anonymous said...

Each student/family was asked to pay $250 and DMSA paid the rest thru their fundraising efforts. No taxpayer funds were used. There is no place for comments such as Anonymous 9:10pm. Typical Dartmouth response-kids are national champions second year in a row and someone's bitching about the cost they didnt even pay!

Anonymous said...

How much does the band get from the town?....that's what I thought. each uniform costs 500 dollars. Each Drum is thousands. And these people still have the audacity to EVER ask for an over ride...UGH!! special interset groups are ramant in this TOWN. Thank you CFRG and Joe Michaud, Dianne Gilbert and Bill for exposing these people for who they are.....tax and spend..

barrywalker said...

Congratulations to the band. The thing that I have always admired about them is their work ethic. It seems like they are out there practicing till all hours of the night. In this day and age of so many people thinking that things should just be handed to them, these kids EARNED their championship and LEARNED a valuable lesson in life. As a citizen and CFRG member, I am not only proud of these kids, I truly admire them.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Barry would be against an over ride for the band? If the band needed new uniforms or instuments?

Anonymous said...

I would like to think no one would be that stupid to even consider asking for such items under an override.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to the band! These kids and their parent should be very proud! Dartmouth is proud of you!

Anonymous said...

school parents would, look at Lara Stone...override queen

Anonymous said...

School parents are the override group and Michaud Trimble and Gilbert along with the CFRG put a halt to their tax and spend initiatives

Anonymous said...

Awesome job band, instructors and parents! What a great example of Dartmouth pride. More good news in the paper recently was the 80 HS students that qualified for a full scholarship to UMass based on their test scores. Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

now all of a sudden this blog is pro-schools. It is no fault of the kids i feel this way, it is the parents groups. Olympio, Stone and the others. Milking the taxpayer COW

Paul said...

I have never seen an organized group of high school students work harder than these kids no matter what sport or activity it is. They have a very talented staff of instructors and an uncomparable group of parents that work tirelessly for this program. The formula is working, please don't mess with it. Onto Indoor persussion season where this group looks to threepeat as world champions. Awesome!

Anonymous said...

Has anyone ever considered what the makeup of the Select Board will be like if an override parent runs and is elected to the Board in 2010? (We have two seats open in 2010: Mr. Michaud and Mrs. Dias are up for reelection if they choose.) We might as well kiss town representation (such that it is) goodby. We know pretty well where at least two or possibly even three of our current members stand on the override issue (maybe not currently, as they no doubt will state, but soon.) With more on the Board like Ms. Stone, we will be in deep trouble indeed.

Do we really want a repeat of the overriders and the discord and hostility prevalent throughout the Town, and the intimidation that some (even parents) felt as a result of their dire predictions that Dartmouth would fall into the ocean if one were not passed? Things were not so pleasant just a few short years back. Let's not forget that. Do we really want to go through that all over again? Do we want a Board skewed in favor of the schools and an override, or do we want fair representation for all Dartmouth residents?

If you value fair representation, why not consider running against one of the incumbents, or at least encourage a like-minded resident to do so.

Anonymous said...

Milking the taxpayers cow ? when Dartmouth (according to the DOE) ranks 319 out 327 in per pupil spending! in simple language in Massachusetts 318 out of 327 towns spend more on education than we do.

Anonymous said...

yeah and it all goes into pensions
michaud trimble and gilbert all saw it...why not YOU

Anonymous said...

Bill or Barry Walker, I was wondering how I can become a member of the CFRG

Anonymous said...

You know thats funny. Reading thru the school budget I got at the budget forum I dont see pensions listed? I see technology and salaries and utilities. Please direct me to the pension section. Where is it on your copy?

Anonymous said...

Schools in Dartmouth take up TOOOO much of the Budget...PERIOD. Bill,Joe and Dianne have all said it.

Anonymous said...

I mean a few overrides ago it was the schools who initiated it

Anonymous said...

The Bill, Joe, and Dianne trio is gone!!! No one cares what they said anymore.

Anonymous said...

7:47 im confused. We are at the legal requirement from the state, nothing more. the minimum we can legally pay. We back charge the schools for everything but air, and 318 of 328 towns pay more per student than we do. What facts can you present to prove your case that the budgets too big? from the looks of it the budget SHOULD be bigger and from the looks of it, it WOULD be bigger if we lived anywhere else or everywhere else.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't Barry Walker and the CFRG against the school override? There was a reason for that. In fact wasn't Joe Michaud Dianne Gilbert and Bill Trimble against the override? Thanks to those 3 and Barry we are not wasting taxes on the schools anymore than we have to

Anonymous said...

The taxes in Dartmouth are ridiculously low!! Wasting tax money hardly fits here. The $7.22/thousand rate is way belowaverage for the state and don't throw the fees into your rebuttal. Look at Taunton for example. They have PAYT and their residential tax is around $10.50/thousand.

Anonymous said...

Then what was barry Walker, Joe Michaud Bill Trimble and Dianne Gilbert fighting? i believe it was overrides...for the schools...Barry Walker is a citizen that likes our low tax rate and the parents and schools want to raise them...Barry keep up the work, don't let anymore money go to the schools. Joe as long as you stick to your conservative principles you will have vote for SB.