Bradwell Institute hosted their band scholarship signings this past Thursday, May 19th. Ten senior students were awarded various scholarships to the college where they will be attending. This was the first time that this has happened at Bradwell. 

The students receiving the scholarships were: 

L'Niyah Adams, Serena Burkart, Kalissa Denkins, Mary Downs, Sean Giddings, Amaurie Hall, Jordan Jenkins, Christopher Taylor, Zion Willis and Yovanna Zuniga. 

All of them will be attending Savannah State University except for Giddings who will be going to Alabama A&M University and Willis who will be going to Hampton.

Aubrey Simmons, Bradwell's band director, was most proud of their accomplishments. 

"I'm extremely proud of them," said Simmons. "We came into this program together their first year here which was my first year here, and we were kind of in a rebuilding/restructuring phase learning a new style of marching and learning different approaches to music. They have really taken everything that I've taught them and pushed themselves to be better musicians and better people." 

Many of the seniors shared Simmons' ideals about their success and their passion for the band. 

"When I was in fifth grade, we had some of the people from the middle school that came to us to show us instruments and I fell in love with the flute," said Amaurie Hall, who plays the mellophone and the French Horn. "I played the flute and then I got to high school and I saw these people doing dance routines and playing music and I was like 'Oh, my God, I want to do this.'"

Hall received a $3,500 scholarship to play in the marching band and concert band for Savannah State. 

Other seniors described what being in the marching band has taught them. 

"I've never been a big people person, but it definitely shows you how to work with the team," said Zion Willis, trombone player. 

Willis further elaborated about her plans once she reaches college at Hampton. She plans to major in psychology and minor in music or flip it around and then has plans to become a music therapist. She received a $20,000 scholarship from Hampton.

Principal Roland Van Horn was also at the signing and had high praise for both the student and Simmons in particular.

"If we had a class scale of one to 10, he would probably rank somewhere up near 100," said Van Horn. "When I tell you that he loves the scholars, his heart and soul goes into them."