Drill Team

There is a fine tradition and an excellent program at Glendale High School and not a lot of people know about it. The drill team at that school has won honors and built a reputation that is nationally (that's nationally) recognized. Here is what the girls and boys on the Glendale High School Drill Team have accomplished: They are presently first in the nation in co-ed dance. It is a title that has been held for seven consecutive years. Let me say that again, too. Seven consecutive years it has involved, and continues to involve, very dedicated young people in our community who are pooling their talent, their hard work and their belief in each other to accomplish amazing feats.

The members of the Glendale High School dance and drill team will trade their dancing shoes for walking shoes this Sunday, when the 85-member team participates in a fundraising walk for Alzheimer’s disease in Los Angeles. It’s the first time the dance team has done a fundraising walk like this, said Kelly Palmer, the team’s director. Sunday’s event is the 15th annual Memory Walk held by the California Southland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Assn. Because the nationally recognized team wins so often and is so focused on practicing, the team members thought it was important to get together to contribute to the larger community, said Erik Jimenez, one of the team’s assistant coaches.

Around 700 attendees filled Kenneth Road Saturday for the 17th Annual Kenneth Village Fall Festival, which included a costume contest, musical performances, face painting and other activities. The event, between Grandview and Sonora avenues, was organized by the Kenneth Village Merchants’ Association as an opportunity to bring the community together, bolster business and raise money for the Los Angeles County affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization dedicated to fighting breast cancer, said Elyse Briggs, a member of the merchants’ association.

Giant Styrofoam lolly pops were just one of the props students used to perform a routine during drill team rehearsals on Friday at Mark Keppel Elementary School. Students danced to the music of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" while waving the colorful lolly pops in the air. The drill team rehearsed in preparation for Spirit Day, the upcoming year-end show at the Hoover High School Auditorium. "They are doing awesome," Debbie Weiss, drill team director, said of her students.

Buck Wargo GLENDALE -- Glendale's 53rd annual celebration of its Latino heritage kicks off Saturday when more than 300 entries are expected for the Days of Verdugo Parade. Mickey and Minnie Mouse are the grand marshals for the parade. The parade starts at 6 p.m., with the route going south on Brand Boulevard between Doran and Harvard streets. The theme of the parade is "Through the Eyes of a Child." Both kids and adults will see marching bands, floats, dignitaries and politicians.

Judy Seckler GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL -- Like a Gap commercial, the dancers flashed winning smiles and boundless energy in Glendale High School's auditorium. For the Glendale High Dance Drill Team's spring showcase, costumes of crush velvet, white satin, sequins, baggie pants, Hawaiian flowered shirts, tennis shoes, '60s flower-power costumes, hot pink wigs and silver lame shorts provided a backdrop of sheer fun. "I joined looking to have fun and learning to dance," said Emily Bratmon, 17, one of the team's seven captains.

Incoming freshmen crowded the hallways of Glendale High School on Thursday during freshman orientation activities. About 600 freshmen showed up to receive class schedules, identification cards and information about the school. Glendale High's choir and drill team performed for students and Ric Coy, a motivational speaker from an organization called Making It Count, spoke to students about their possibilities for success. Students were also given presentations on campus security by school administrators.

Judy Seckler KEPPEL ELEMENTARY -- In the very beginning, there was only an after-school drill team at Keppel Elementary School. Popular drill team instructor Cris Neel recommended a dance instructor and dance was added to the after school schedule. Slowly, the school's after-school program has become "Keppel Plus" -- a wide range of activities -- from the inspiration of Emily Young, Keppel PTA executive vice president. Since August, students can choose among classes in co-edbasketball, recreation for first- and second-graders, a chess and scrabble club, drama, fencing, library and study hall time and a Harry Potter club.

Gary Moskowitz Long socks proved to be a good-luck charm for the eighth-grade girls Wednesday during Wilson Middle School's Turkey Bowl flag-football game. The annual event -- hosted by the school the week of Thanksgiving -- consists of flag-football games between the eighth-grade girls and the sixth- and seventh-grade girls, and between the eighth-grade boys and sixth- and seventh-grade boys. During Wednesday's game, each touchdown was worth one point.

Jo Van Amburg There will be a lot of school spirit mixed in with the holiday fun as the 23rd annual Montrose Christmas Parade makes its way down Honolulu Avenue tonight. Glendale's public schools are well represented in the parade ranks, according to Myrna Grijalva, president of the Montrose Shopping Park Association. Friends and family members will be out in force along the parade route to cheer the students on their way. Among the participants: the band and flag team from Rosemont Middle School; the band, cheerleaders, drill team and Charismatics from Crescenta Valley High School; the drill team from Mark Keppel Elementary School; the drill team from Toll Middle School; the songleaders, cheerleaders and flag team from Hoover High School; the band and drill team from Roosevelt Middle School; the band, drill team and auxiliary cheerleaders from Wilson Middle School; and the band, color guard and drill team from Glendale High School.

Hundreds of graduates, along with their principal, bid farewell Thursday to four years at Glendale Unified High School. More than 600 graduates dressed in red and black caps and gowns took center stage at Moyse Stadium as they prepared to move on to the next steps of their lives. Also preparing for change is Principal Deb Rinder, who is moving on to a district-level position next school year. Reminding them of their great potential and endless possibilities, Salutatorian Vahe Avagyan asked his fellow classmates, “What do you want to achieve?

They have dubbed themselves the “redeem team.” One year after losing the national title in the co-ed division to their rivals at Channel Islands High School, the Glendale High School dance/drill team is eager to take the floor at the 2011 USA Dance/Drill Nationals at the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend. “We are very nervous, but still excited,” said head captain Daniel Kim, 17. “It is what we have been waiting for since last March.” Competing under the leadership of Coach Kelly Palmer since 1999, the Glendale High has seen more than a decade of wins.

YOUTH WILL COMPETE IN PASADENA PAGEANT Courtney Bolin, of Glendale, was recently selected to participate in Nationals Inc. 2009 Miss Pre-Teen Pasadena Pageant competition on Feb. 22. Courtney is in sixth grade at Toll Middle School where she is on the drill team. She attends Golden State Gymnastics. Courtney submitted an application and took part in an interview session that was conducted by Patty Neidert, this year’s Pasadena pageant coordinator. Courtney will compete for thousands of dollars in prizes and specialty gifts in the division for ages 7 to 19 in modeling routines that include casual wear and formal wear.

Around 700 attendees filled Kenneth Road Saturday for the 17th Annual Kenneth Village Fall Festival, which included a costume contest, musical performances, face painting and other activities. The event, between Grandview and Sonora avenues, was organized by the Kenneth Village Merchants’ Association as an opportunity to bring the community together, bolster business and raise money for the Los Angeles County affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization dedicated to fighting breast cancer, said Elyse Briggs, a member of the merchants’ association.

With a mixture of relief and elation, Glendale High School’s coed dance squad accepted a first-place trophy at the United Spirit Assn. national dance and drill competition in Anaheim on Saturday, the squad’s 10th win in as many years. The 30-student coed squad — which is one of more than a dozen squads that make up the 80-member dance and drill team — earned its 10th first-place finish at the competition with a routine that showcased dance styles such as jive, samba, mambo, tango and rumba.

The members of the Glendale High School dance and drill team will trade their dancing shoes for walking shoes this Sunday, when the 85-member team participates in a fundraising walk for Alzheimer’s disease in Los Angeles. It’s the first time the dance team has done a fundraising walk like this, said Kelly Palmer, the team’s director. Sunday’s event is the 15th annual Memory Walk held by the California Southland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Assn. Because the nationally recognized team wins so often and is so focused on practicing, the team members thought it was important to get together to contribute to the larger community, said Erik Jimenez, one of the team’s assistant coaches.

Kelly Palmer has led the drill and dance team at Glendale High to many national championships, but lack of funds has prevented her from bringing her “small military” squad to the Contest of Champions in Florida. Until now. With a donation of $20,000 from Lexus of Glendale, the nine-member, all-female small military dance squad will travel to Orlando, Fla., to compete in February. The small military group, like other squads that make up the drill team, has won national championships before, but the Florida competition has been out of reach because of its expense.

Cultural unity was the goal of the first-ever Glendale Friendship Games and Festival held at Glendale High School on Saturday and Sunday. The event was organized by the Homenetmen Glendale "Ararat" Chapter. "We have good diverse participation," said Armik Ebrahimian, an event coordinator. "We wanted to bring people of different cultures together through the games and festival." Homenetmen is an Armenian-based nonprofit organization that provides scouting, athletic, cultural and educational programs to children and adults.

There is a fine tradition and an excellent program at Glendale High School and not a lot of people know about it. The drill team at that school has won honors and built a reputation that is nationally (that's nationally) recognized. Here is what the girls and boys on the Glendale High School Drill Team have accomplished: They are presently first in the nation in co-ed dance. It is a title that has been held for seven consecutive years. Let me say that again, too. Seven consecutive years it has involved, and continues to involve, very dedicated young people in our community who are pooling their talent, their hard work and their belief in each other to accomplish amazing feats.

Giant Styrofoam lolly pops were just one of the props students used to perform a routine during drill team rehearsals on Friday at Mark Keppel Elementary School. Students danced to the music of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" while waving the colorful lolly pops in the air. The drill team rehearsed in preparation for Spirit Day, the upcoming year-end show at the Hoover High School Auditorium. "They are doing awesome," Debbie Weiss, drill team director, said of her students.