Higley Unified School District Magazine

GROW
2
Higley district boasts most
winter guard teams in Arizona
By Quintin Bingham
In a large, open room, dance students at Cooley Middle School face a
wall of mirrors as they independently wave and swirl large flags in arcs
and figure eights. The group continues to practice as Pam Edgar, the
instructor, pulls out a large binder full of photos— looks up and smiles
— then points to a group of starry-eyed performers on the cover: “My
seniors this year. This is when they were in eighth grade.”
Edgar doubles as the color guard instructor for both of the Cooley
winter guard teams and both of the Williams Field High School teams,
all Gilbert campuses in Higley Unified School District. She also instructs
three of five elementary guard teams in the district, which make up
three of the eight elementary guard teams registered in all of Arizona.
The development of Higley’s youth teams has resulted in Higley accumulating
the most youth indoor performing arts teams in Arizona. In a
practice largely unique to the Higley Unified School District, students
are introduced to the “sport of the arts” at a young age— as early as the
fifth grade.
Natalie Guajardo, eighth grader at Cooley Middle School, is one such
student. She started performing in district color guard teams her fifth-
-grade year when she joined Gateway Pointe Elementary Color Guard.
24 Total Teams
5
2
4
7
Elementary Color Guards
Middle School Guards
3
Middle School Percussion
Marching Winds
High School Guards
High School Percussion
1
2
Elementary Trash Can Bands
Guajardo said she was nervous when she joined guard because she
was afraid to “drop the flag on my head.” Four years later, Guajardo
tosses quads with a wooden rifle for Cooley Colorguard Black.
Continued on Pg. 7