The 2024 CHS Seniors who are in the band were highlighted during a boy’s basketball game on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
During halftime, all 18 band seniors were called down to the court along with their parents in alphabetical order and given gifts to celebrate their final pep-band game, and their final year at CHS.
The senior band members are Josalynn Anaya, Bethany Baughman, Joel Buskohl, Josh Casteel, Gavin Cowan, Isaiah Roth, Chase Gilbert, Garret Hopkins, Haley Hoskin, Jessica Ixcoy, Hannah Kaempfe, Rylie McDonough, Aden McFarland, Chloe Miller, Ash Pfeiffer, David Sullivan, Kaci Trost, and Mason Werner. Each senior was asked a series of questions to describe their band career and to see what they plan on doing after graduation.
Josalynn Anaya plays the flute and has been in band since fifth grade. She said the reason she joined the band was because she wanted to try something new and her favorite band memory was her senior band Christmas concert. She plans on continuing schooling to become an ultrasound technician.
Bethany Baughman also plays the flute and has been in band for a collective of 7 years. She joined the band due to her father’s influence and her best memories consist of her laughing with her friend, Josalynn Anaya. After graduation, she wants to go to college to study nursing.
Joel Buskohl has been in the band since fifth grade and plays the trombone. He says he joined the band because he wanted to learn something new and his best memory was getting a first in Solo and Ensemble contest.
Josh Casteel has been in band for 7 years and plays the trumpet. He decided to do band because it was a family tradition and he says that pep band is his favorite part of band, especially trying to hit the higher notes. He has decided to continue his studies at SIUC for a music performance degree.
Isaiah Roth has been in band since middle school and plays both alto and baritone saxophone. He describes how he joined the band due to it being a core value in his life, and his favorite memories were also the Solo and Ensemble contests as he loves competing musically. Once he graduates high school he plans on attending SIUC to major in mass communication and public relations with a minor in psychology and music production.
Chase Gilbert plays the trombone and joined the band way back in fifth grade. He speaks about how he joined the band solely for fun and that his favorite memory is a specific Winter Light parade where it was so cold that most instruments were frozen and it was a struggle to play properly. He wants to continue learning more about math and science in college once he graduates.
Haley Hoskin plays the clarinet and has been since the Fifth grade. She said she joined it to keep her busy and her favorite memories also consist of Solo and Ensemble, specifically with her friend Abby. She plans to pursue a law career once she graduates.
Hannah Kaempfe is a clarinet player and during contest time she also does piano! She has been in band all of high school too. She said she joined it due to her love for music and her fondest memory is the past two pep band seasons. After high school, she wants to attend SWIC and major in early childhood education.
Rylie McDonough has been in the band for the past 8 years, playing a tenor saxophone. She decided that band was for her to learn more about music and her best memory was the 22-23 pep band season. She plans to continue her studies after high school while attending SIUC.
Aden McFarland plays the bass clarinet and has been a member of the Chester band since fifth grade. He joined band for fun and his favorite memories were doing fun shenanigans during marching band practice! He wants to attend SEMO full time after he graduates.
Chloe Miller plays the clarinet and has been a part of the band since her fifth grade year. Her reason for joining the band was because she used to play the violin and wanted to try a new instrument, she also comments that her best memory was doing an ensemble with her friends, Josalynn Anaya and Isaiah Roth. She wants to attend SWIC after graduation.
Ash Pfeiffer has been a percussion member since fifth grade. Ash decided to join band to just enjoy some time with their friends and they said their fondest memories were spent at Organization contest. Ash plans to major in physics at SIUC after high school.
David Sullivan joined the band the first chance he got when it was offered at the grade school and he decided to play the trombone. He joined because he thought he would have fun and his favorite memory was going on the Florida trip to Disney! After graduating, David plans on attending a college to earn his degree in computer engineering.
Kaci Trost plays the flute and joined the band her Junior year. She said she used to play the flute in the past with her sister, but once her sister quit she wasn’t able to practice much anymore. She said she was given an opportunity to join the CHS band her Junior year and she took it! She mentioned that her favorite memory was the basketball senior night on February 13 this year. She has planned to go to a community college then transfer to a 4 year university.
Mason Werner has been a band member since fifth grade and plays the trumpet. He decided to join band because it looked like fun and his favorite memory was also the Florida trip to Disney. He plans to attend the Ranken Technical college in Perryville after he graduates.