For the second year in a row, the Mineola High School Marching Band has won the Small School Division 1 (SS1) championship at the New York State Field Band Conference (NYSFBC) held on Oct. 29 in Syracuse, New York.
Under the direction of Marching Band director Chris Toomey and assistant director Zach St. John, the band, consisting of 144 students, scored the coveted SS1 trophy for their performance entitled “Odyssey: Through Space and Time,” which features original music composed by Ken Kamping, a member of the Mineola music department staff.
In addition to two consecutive state championships, the Mineola Marching Band also dominated the local competitions and achieved a second undefeated season.
Mineola High School was accepted to Small School Division 1 in 2021. They previously competed in Small School Division 2, where they were champions in 2018 and 2019. The competition was canceled in 2020 due to Covid.
