If you have been out in the Fort Madison community lately, you have been able to hear the Holy Trinity Catholic Junior/ Senior High Band at area parades.
Since it has been several years since HTC has had a marching band, Holy Trinity Catholic and Fort Madison public schools joined forces for the Fort Madison Fourth of July Parade and West Point’s Sweet Corn Festival parade. However, when it came time for the Nauvoo Grape Festival, Tri-State Rodeo and Denmark God’s Portion Day parades, the HTC marching band was ready to, as singer John Mellencamp put it, “R.O.C.K. in the USA!”
Getting the Holy Trinity Catholic Junior/Senior High Band back into shape has been thanks to teacher Emily Otte. She is no stranger to the halls of the HTC Junior/Senior High building because from 1995-98 Otte was a teacher at Aquinas Junior/Senior High. Since that time she has had three children, returned to college at Western Illinois University to receive a master’s degree, has come back and, luckily for HTC, settled in Fort Madison.
Last year HTC participated in several honor band events, including the St. Ambrose University Honor Band, Southeast Iowa Super-Conference High School Select Band and Mount Pleasant Middle School Honor Band, which will all be repeat visits this year.
Otte is happy to report that band member participation has increased at all levels.
The band keeps a very active schedule throughout the year; people will have several more opportunities to hear the students. Many band members are a part of the Showband that travels and performs with the HTC Show Choir, Commotion.
Students will be marching once again in the Fort Madison Annual Parade of Lights on the Friday following Thanksgiving. A seventh to 12th-grade Jazz Ensemble will be new this year. There also will be performances at the West Point Christmas Open House and a Christmas carol concert at the Kensington assisted living community in Fort Madison, not to mention the Christmas and spring concerts that are presented each year.
