Arts & Entertainment

West Orange Marching Mountaineers End Season On High Note

The Marching Mountaineers represented their alma mater with "dignity, grace and honor" at a regional competition, their principal said.

The Marching Mountaineers competed on Oct. 29 in the Bands of America (BOA) New Jersey Regional Championship at Rutgers University.
The Marching Mountaineers competed on Oct. 29 in the Bands of America (BOA) New Jersey Regional Championship at Rutgers University. (Photo: Cynthia Cumming/West Orange Public Schools)

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The award-winning West Orange High School Marching Mountaineers ended their competitive season on a high note at a recent regional championship, representing their alma mater with “dignity, grace and honor” at a regional championship, their principal said.

The Marching Mountaineers competed on Oct. 29 in the Bands of America (BOA) New Jersey Regional Championship at Rutgers University. The band qualified for the finals competition for only the second time in school history, finishing in sixth place – the highest placement in a BOA Regional in school history.

The competition drew bands from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Massachusetts.

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That hasn’t been the only recent victory for the Marching Mountaineers, district administrators noted.

On Oct. 30, the band took second place at the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association's NJ State Championship at The College of New Jersey. The band also won the award for Best Music.

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“We are very proud of our Marching Mountaineers,” West Orange High School Principal Hayden Moore said.

“They represent the great musical talent that grows out of the district's fine arts program and they represent the high school with dignity, grace and honor,” Moore added.

District officials gave the following wrap-up of the 2022 marching band season:

Roxbury High School NJMBDA Competition
1st place group AAA - 84.2
Best Music group AAA
Overall Grand Champions
Overall Best Music
Randolph High School NJMBDA Competition
1st place group AAA - 83.8
Best Music group AAA
Best Overall Effect group AAA
Overall Grand Champions
Overall Best Music
Overall Best Overall Effect
Verona High School NJMBDA Competition
1st place group AAA - 87.0
Best Visual group AAA
Best Overall Effect group AAA
Best Music group AAA
Overall Grand Champions
Overall Best Music
Overall Best Overall Effect
Overall Best Visual
Wayne Valley High School NJMBDA Compeition
1st place group AAA - 93.1
Best Visual group AAA
Best Overall Effect group AAA
Best Music group AAA
Overall Grand Champions
Overall Best Music
Overall Best Overall Effect
Overall Best Visual
Bands of America New Jersey Regional @ Rutgers University Prelims
6th place overall - 76.2 (out of 18 bands from NJ, NY, PA, VA, MA)
3rd place group 3A
finals qualifier
Bands of America New Jersey Regional @ Rutgers University Finals
6th place overall - 78.3 (out of 12 bands from NJ, NY, PA, VA, MA)
NJMBDA State Championships @ The College of New Jersey
2nd place group AAA - 90.0
Best Music group AAA

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