Superior Marching Contest: 8 Young Women from Panama High School Achieve Highest Honor in State
Eight young women from the Panama High School located in southeastern Oklahoma recently competed in the Superior Marching Contest that was held in Checotah. The team, known as the Color Guard, achieved the highest honor in the state by winning the superior rating. The students are to be commended for their hard work and dedication!
Interview with Band Director Teri Wyatt
Doing a brief interview with the Band Director Teri Wyatt she been teaching at Panama high school for the past 6 years. She started on her path spinning rifle in high school in Sprio, Oklahoma this was the first of its kind in Oklahoma. She has been honored to teach and judge color guards at many schools and contest for over 40 years.
When asked what her favorite part of teaching band is, she stated that it has always been the relationships that she is able to form with her students. She loves being able to watch them grow and develop their talents over the years. She also loves being able to help them gain confidence and see them become better musicians and performers.
What has been the most rewarding experience of your teaching career?
Teri points to the many awards and accolades her students have received throughout the years. She has seen her students go on to perform at college, in professional bands, and even as featured soloists in some most prestigious music festivals. She says it is always humbling to see them succeed and that she is truly proud of each and every one of them.
Accomplishments of this Team
- Outstanding color guard in class at Stigler competition.
- Superior at OSSAA regional contest.
- Youngest color guard to compete. (Freshman and 8th graders).
The 8 Members of the Team
- Maddi Anderson – joined color guard in 7th grade, She is now a freshman. She, along with 3 other girls were able to start spinning a rifle this year that has been incorporated into part of their performance. She has been involved in dance for the last 7 years which helps strengthen her color guard ability. She excels in color guard and academics.
- Abby Milligan – Abby enjoys naps, Mountain Dew and spending time with her 3 dogs Dexter, Shed and Baker. Abby has been in color guard for 3 years and loves performing. She spends as much time as possible with her friends and big sisters and cannot wait to meet her niece Claira next month. Abby loves animals, riding four wheelers and hopes to pursue a career in nursing or law enforcement.
- Madisun White – is a very caring, loving , kind young lady. she is improving everyday in color guard, she loves her team and so thankful to be apart of it. although some days she is ready to give up she couldn’t imagine working on her skills with anyone other than the group of girls and teacher she has now!!
- Gracie Dyer – is currently a freshman and has been a member of the color guard 3 years. Gracie is known for her big personality, caring heart, hard work and kindness. She plans to finish high school at Panama then pursue a college degree in the medical field. Her hobbies are hanging out with her best friend Abby and bringing home all kinds of animals. She enjoys being outdoors and on the go all the time.
- Adrianna Gist Cantwell – is in 8th grade at Panama Middle School. She is in her 2nd year of Colorguard in the high school band, achieving a superior rating both years at state. She enjoys spending time with her family and attending services at Panama First Baptist. Her goals are to graduate high school and attend college to become a physical therapist.
- Moriah Collins – I have a lot of passion for Color guard, my goals in life is to get a degree in business, after I get my business degree I would like to do hair. I would describe myself as a very thoughtful and cheerful person.
- Ashlynn Jones – is a very strong independent young 8th grader. She has only every attended school at Panama. She is very kind and will help anyone in need of help, if she can. She is an amazing older sister who spoils her little brother. She is funny and o so clumsy lol but she does amazing at anything she puts her mind to. I am definitely proud of the young woman she is becoming.
- Rylee Hughes – Colorguard has been such a blessing for Rylee Hughes. It’s her second year under the direction of Mrs. Wyatt. She has found something she loves, she’s good at, and can be proud of. Being a part of this team has brought her out of her shell and allowed her to accomplish things she never considered before such as winning state competitions! We couldn’t be anymore proud of this team and all their hard work and accomplishments.
We are so proud of this Color Guard team from Panama High School for achieving the highest honor in the state and winning the Superior rating at the Superior Marching Contest held in Checotah. Congratulations to the team and teacher Teri Wyatt for their hard work and dedication!
We applaud you for your persistence and dedication – your hard-earned success is an example of what can happen when we strive for excellence!
