Outstanding Young Artists

Friday Harbor High School Jazz Band Student Michael Hoeller triumphs at Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival

“Outstanding Young Artist” Michael Hoeller

Friday Harbor High School jazz student Michael Hoeller trumpeted his way to an “Outstanding Young Artist” designation at the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival held at the University of Idaho February 22-24. The Friday Harbor High School Jazz Band directed by Matt Frost competed with 150 other high school bands, about 3,000 students in this festival billed as the “largest educational jazz festival in the world”.

The Jazz Band competed in the High School B division and had an excellent performance. There were 30 Outstanding Young Artist (HS) awards given at the festival. For his featured solo, sophomore trumpeter Michael Hoeller played Duke Ellington’s “Echoes of Harlem,” which was originally composed by Ellington for his star trumpeter, Cootie Williams in 1936. Additionally, the band attended multiple clinics, listened to many other jazz ensemble performances, and attended the Lionel Hampton New York Big Band professional concert Saturday evening.

And in other FHHS news:

Friday Harbor High School Students Dominate 40th Annual High School Regional Art Competition

Friday Harbor High School art teacher Andrew Anderson is thrilled to learn that five of the seven art pieces selected to represent Northwest Educational District 189 in the 40th Annual OSPI High School Art Competition are the work of five Friday Harbor High School art students. The five winners include seniors Will Kromer, Kaylen Meeker, Robyn Roberts, and juniors Ellery Von Dassow, and Alaina Scheffer.

The NWESD region serves 35 school districts in five different counties. Approximately 16 percent of the state’s K-12 public school students are served in this region’s school districts, which range from large to small, urban to rural. For five of the seven art pieces to be selected from the Northwest Region illustrates the quality of the FHHS art program as well as the talent of its art students.

This achievement is spectacular when you factor in the rules which allow the larger schools to submit more students work than the smaller schools. There will be an awards ceremony on March 15th between 5:00pm-6:30pm at the Everett School District Educational Center. The regional winners will go forward to compete in the State competition against the State’s other eight districts regional winners.

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