Two members of the Eisenhower Middle School Warrior Band have been selected for the Kansas Bandmasters Association (KBA) Middle-Level Honor Band, which will take place this summer in Wichita. The ensemble is one of the state’s premier honor groups, drawing top middle school musicians from across Kansas.

Seventh-grade trumpet player Cecilia Holder and eighth-grade French horn player Caitlin Rice were both chosen for the ensemble following a competitive nomination process. Holder earned 2nd chair in the trumpet section, while Rice was selected as 1st chair for French horn.

Both students were nominated based on their consistent record of musical excellence in the Warrior Band program. Holder, a member of the Intermediate Band, has earned numerous honors during her two years in the program, including participation in the Oklahoma Panhandle Beginner Band Honor Band, 4th chair in the Southwest Kansas Music Educators Association (SWKMEA) District Honor Band, 1st chair in the Five State Honor Band, and 11th chair in the Kansas John Philip Sousa Honor Band Red Band.

Rice, a member of the Advanced Band, has also compiled an impressive list of achievements over her three years in the program. Her honors include 2nd chair in the Five State Honor Band (2025), 1st chair in the SWKMEA District Honor Band (2026), 1st chair in the Five State Honor Band (2026), and selection as an alternate for the Kansas John Philip Sousa Honor Band Red Band (2026).

Holder and Rice will represent Eisenhower Middle School, USD480 Bands, and the Liberal community at the KBA Convention in Wichita, where they will rehearse and perform under the direction of Laura Estes, a very distinguished director and composer alongside other top student musicians from across the state.

The Eisenhower Warrior Band continues an active performance schedule this spring, with upcoming appearances at the Guymon Pioneer Days Parade on May 2 and a joint concert with the Seymour Rogers Proud Apache Band on May 8 at 6:00 p.m. in the Jim Maskus Auditorium at Liberal High School.

Community members are encouraged to support USD480 student musicians as they continue to represent their schools both locally and across Kansas.