Fourteen seventh and eighth grade band members will be representing Clarke Middle School in the South Central Conference Honor Band on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Other schools in the conference include Albia, Cardinal, Centerville, Chariton, Davis County, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, and Knoxville. Chariton will host the event this year.
The Clarke 7th and 8th Grade Band will be represented by: Gabby Hawk (flute), Lilly Graves (flute), Josie Turpin (clarinet), Brynnley Porter (clarinet), Raylee Sutton (bass clarinet), Collins Readout (alto saxophone), Ava Surls (tenor saxophone), Hali Nelsen (bari saxophone), Katana Ford (trumpet), Fernanda Garcia (French Horn), Josue Rivera (trombone), Logan Doss (trombone), Haydon Brokaw (euphonium), and Jadie Dubon (percussion). All of these band members have been busy preparing their music with Christie Stortenbecker, the 7th and 8th grade band director at Clarke.
Students have been given four pieces of music to practice in advance of the honor band. On March 26, all of the students from the various schools will rehearse together at Chariton during the afternoon as an ensemble for the first time. That evening, they will present a concert for the public. The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Johnson Auditorium of Chariton High School in Chariton, Iowa. Admission to the concert is $3 per adult and $2 per student. The guest conductor will be Nick Menke, one of the high school band directors from Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Iowa.