JTHS Band Alumni Scholarships Awarded

To celebrate 100 years of music at Joliet Township High School District, the band alumni association awarded two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors.

Joliet Central graduate Cynthia Stacy and Joliet West graduate Michael Holwey received the JTHS Band Alumni Centennial Scholarship Award. Holwey and Stacy will be recognized at the 100th anniversary band alumni concert at 3 p.m. July 29 in the auditorium at Joliet Central High School, 201 E. Jefferson St.

“As JT band alumni, we know that JT band students represent an exceptional group who are among the finest students,” said Gene DiVecchio, vice president of the JTHS Band Alumni Association. “Most importantly, we are proud to sponsor the Centennial Scholarship Award to help our newest band alumni achieve their educational goals. Their success is one with ours.”

Stacy, 18, will attend DePaul University's School of Music to study bassoon performance, jazz and journalism. Stacy, the daughter of Timothy and Anna Stacy, started playing piano when she was 7 years old before learning clarinet in grade school.

“In junior high, I picked up the saxophone family for jazz and baritone saxophone led me to bassoon. I played clarinet, alto, and tenor in the pep band the past three years and led the pep band my senior year with two other student conductors,” she said. “I focus on bassoon now, but have been active in the Big Band on piano for all four years at JT.”

Michael Holwey, 18, will be attending Bradley University, majoring in computer science with a concentration in game technology. Michael, the son of Charissa and Christopher Holwey, plays a variety of percussion instruments, including marching snare, bass drums, xylophone, marimba, timpani, concert snare and bass.

“The scholarship and honor of receiving this award means a great deal to me because of the amount of time and effort I have dedicated to the band program all four years while attending Joliet West High School,” Holwey said.

“I have always felt like a part of the band, but to be this first recipient of this Centennial scholarship definitely makes me feel like I've impacted the traditions and ideals of the JT Band. That means more to me than any amount of money. Really, truly,” Stacy said.

To compete for the scholarship, Class of 2012 band students had to play their instruments in front of three judges and attend an interview in front of a panel. The judges were Charles Morgan, an assistant professor of music at Joliet Junior College; George Pierard, former director of graduate admissions for VanderCook College of Music and Jerry E. Lewis, a retired music professor, who served as chairman of the music and fine arts department at Joliet Junior College. The interview team included JTHS BAA board members, DiVecchio, Mary Beth Bjekich, and Megan Gonzalez.

“I was very impressed by Cynthia’s desire to continue to seek a degree in music. Michael said he would always keep music in his life even though he was going to major in a non-music program in college,” DiVecchio said. “Both Michael and Cynthia represented themselves as young adults who knew where they were going and they were very confident on how they felt the band had an impact on them.”

Stacy hopes the scholarship continues.

“The band scholarship is pivotal to keeping the tradition of the band alive,” she said. “I'm terribly worried about the fate of bands in other schools, which is why I am so proud of Joliet for keeping music alive. If I ever have kids, I want them to have any opportunity open to them - especially band. Giving awards like this will help establish the necessity of music in schools.”

DiVecchio hopes the scholarships are not the first and last given out by the Band Alumni Association.  “We want to continue to give these scholarships yearly and we feel we can do that with the generosity of our alumni and those who feel strongly about JT band program as we do,” he said.

To donate to the scholarship program, write the check to: JTHS Band Alumni Association and put “scholarship fund” in the memo line. Mail to: JTHS BAA, P.O. Box 1261, Joliet, IL 60434. For more information, call 815-714-8706 or go to the website at www.jthsbaa.org