SOUTH HUNTINGTON, NY — The Walt Whitman High School Wildcat Marching Band made school history, capturing its first New York State Field Band Conference championship at Syracuse University's JMA Wireless Dome.
The Wildcats took first place in the Large School 3 division during the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 championships, earning a score of 80.75 — their highest of the 2026 competitive season.
The victory marked the program's first NYSFBC championship after previous finishes of third place in 2021 and fifth place in 2022.
"I am extremely proud of our band students for their historic win," said band co-director Shannon Ganci. "After all the hard work and dedication put in this season from our students and staff, it is a well-deserved victory for our community."
Ganci said the students embraced the theme of their performance and executed their music and visual choreography with confidence at the Dome. She hopes the championship will encourage future students to join the marching band.
This year's show, titled "Elemental," explored the natural world through four movements: "Mother Earth," "Water," "Wind" and "Fire." The performance began with a powerful musical introduction before transitioning into fluid movements and lighter musical arrangements representing water.
The wind portion featured a faster pace and continuous movement across the field, while the fire movement concluded the show with a high-energy finale featuring the drumline and color guard.
Each movement incorporated changes in field props and color guard flags, with performers using rifles, sabres and flags to complement the music.
Band co-director Joseph Vetack said this season represented a shift from the band's traditional story-based performances to a concept-driven production, challenging students to develop new skills and confidence.
"They connected to it completely," Vetack said. "Beyond mastering a more different style of show, they had to learn to believe in themselves, their abilities, and each other."
The competitive season begins in September, but preparation starts months earlier when directors announce the show's theme in the spring. Students learn their music before attending band camp in August, where they begin practicing the field formations and choreography.
"Bringing gold home to this community, the very place that gave me the chance to grow into the educator I am today, is an incredible feeling," Vetack said. "Seeing how much our program has evolved since I first started teaching here makes this moment incredibly special."
Walt Whitman Principal John Murphy attended the championship in Syracuse and helped band parents move equipment on and off the field.
"It was exciting to watch how perfect their performance was, how great the music was, and how all their months of hard work, including the work of the band parents, the directors and their staff, all came together in that special ten minutes and worked out perfectly," Murphy said. "They did such a great job."
The championship comes after longtime support from the school's Band Parent Association, which organized fundraising activities throughout the year, including car washes, bake sales, barbecues and merchandise sales. Parents also help transport equipment, coordinate travel arrangements and provide meals for students during the season.
The marching band program dates back to the district's earliest days in the 1940s, before Walt Whitman High School opened in 1955.
"The district has been aiming for this title for a very long time, and while I'm proud to bring the cup home, I hope this is just the beginning of a long line of successful seasons," Vetack said.
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