SUBJECT: September 2025 WLN Music Booster Newsletter
September 2025 WLNMB Newsletter
Marching Band News
Homecoming was a success for our Marching Knights with an epic halftime show "Knight Moves: Homecoming Edition!" The dance block was debuted and I would not rate their performance a 6 or 7, I would rate it at least a 10! They march, they play, and they dance! Epic humans doing epic things!
We have three performances coming up in October:
October 3rd Home Game -8th grade night and crazy hat night; aka "find your kid on the field" night
October 10th Home Game- senior night
October 13th MSBOA Marching Band Festival at Bloomfield Hills High School (evening)
A look ahead:
November 11th is our Gym Concert featuring Wind Ensemble and Clifford Smart's 7th and 8th grade bands. We end the night with our Marching Knights blasting the gym doors off the building!
November 14th is our Banquet. More information about that will be coming your way at the beginning of October.
Need some swag? Visit our Marching Knights Apparel Shop and place your order today! There is great stuff on the site and now that it's September, it's basically time to start holiday shopping, so place your order today!
A FREE Marching Knights tote bag will be included with all orders $125 and more no promo code needed.
There are no returns/exchanges on decorated items. Please check the size charts provided and contact Cujographix if you have any questions or need additional sizing information.
Banquet Slide Show Content Creator
We're looking for a creative individual to design the slideshow for our upcoming banquet! If you enjoy working with digital media, this is a fun and meaningful project. You'll get to showcase special moments and highlights — and there's nothing quite like hearing the students cheer as their memories come to life on screen. It’s a truly heartwarming experience! If you would like more information, please contact our banquet chair Michelle Brandon at MichelleBrandon@wlcsd.org
BAND NEWS
This year in band, there are going to be many great concerts, events, and festivals to be part of. Mrs. Hulliberger is gearing up for a fantastic year of exciting music to thrill our eardrums. The first band concert is the fall concert scheduled for Tuesday, October 28th at 7pm at WLN. See you there!
CHOIR NEWS
Mrs. Ward has been busy getting ready for another year of showcasing her talented ensembles, and we are here for it! The fall concert is Thursday, October 30th at 7pm at WLN.
Also, Mrs. Ward has been invited to conduct the SSAA Honors Choir in January which is a tremendous honor. More details to come, but for now, congratulations to Mrs. Ward!
ORCHESTRA NEWS
Mrs. Phillips is ready to begin her second year at Northern and is excited to get more parents involved to make her dream orchestra program a reality! Orchestra will be having their fall concert on Wednesday, October 29th at 7pm at WLN. This will be a combined concert with Clifford Smart.
Pastor Judd Delancey offered the sanctuary at his Church, the Shepard of the Lakes, for a Chamber Concert on November 19th. Students in Philharmonic will arrive at 6pm and perform at 6:30. Students in Symphony will arrive at 6:30 and perform at 7pm. There will be an offering taken which will be split between the church and the orchestra. The orchestra and Mrs. Phillips are grateful for this opportunity!
HELP WANTED: The Music Boosters is looking for an orchestra representative. This person would give us the inside scoop on all things orchestra. If you know someone who might be interested, please contact Liz Vachon at lizvachon@gmail.com.
WE WANT YOU!
There are so many ways to get involved with your child's musical passion and here are some current/future needs to make our program successful:
Orchestra Representative: Attends the booster meetings monthly and reports on all things orchestra.
Vice President: In March, we will be electing a new Vice President, our VP will be graduating this year! If you are interested in learning more about this position, please let Liz Vachon know.
Concessions Chair: There are two times in the school year that the Music Boosters sell concession: During the Musical in February and during the MSBOA festival in March, an event that we host at Northern. This position is responsible for coordinating the snacks, ensuring volunteers are set up for success, and being overall awesome. If you would like more information about this easy and fulfilling volunteer job opportunity, please contact Liz Vachon.
TWO Marching Band/Band Representatives: Without these positions filled, there won't be a band camp, so please consider volunteering. This position includes managing volunteers, attending to the students well-being at camp and games, coordinate all of the marching band communications/events, organizes transportation/schedules camps. Yes, this sounds like a lot, but we have a manual for you and a ton of support. We just need two willing people who enjoy being a team player, understands the vision of the marching band, and can give their heart to an organization that almost 200 students utilize as their gateway to lifelong friendships, socialization, exercise, music enhancement, leadership opportunities, and college essay material. Imagine YOU could be the person that creates all that and more for about 200 people. The impact you will have on so many students goes beyond just getting someone to donate enough grapes for a football game. Want to learn more? Contact Liz Vachon
Volunteer Coordinator: This position will work side-by-side with the band reps and will be an integral part in ensuring our camps, football games, festivals, and events will run smoothly with volunteers. This person is responsible for managing the sign-up genius forms for every event that requires volunteers, ensuring that all volunteers have a criminal history form on file, being at the start of most events, and being at band camp (not required to stay overnight). This is a position that a band rep has been doing, but it seems as though it would be better suited to be a band rep adjacent position. If you would like more information, please contact Liz Vachon
Student & Parent Highlights
For the past 5 years Aimee Gurski has enjoyed the perks of being a band parent, most especially the opportunity to hear all the great music and cheer on the students. Even more meaningful to her, is the chance to show her gratitude for the program by being involved through volunteering. Next year she’s taking it to a new level as our incoming Food Rep.
Aimee says, “ the days (and nights) I’ve spent at both home and away camp have been some of my happiest parenting memories, especially last year when both my girls were performing together. Getting to be a part of that is priceless. As a parent, I couldn't be happier that my family is a part of this awesome community. It’s so rewarding to be involved with this program, and to have the opportunity to bring happiness to all the students.”
"I'm so glad I was in marching band, because of all the friends I made and the memories that will always be with me. It was a huge part of my high school experience," says Anna
"For me, once I saw my sister in marching band, I knew I was going to do it too, because it looked so fun. Now that I'm in the band it's even more fun than I could have imagined," says Claire. "I do it for the people."
It's no secret that it takes a village, and the level of parent support we receive to keep these kids well fed is incredible. Aimee has been shadowing Ruth and Val through all the food rep duties and responsibilities this year. She's still looking for interested parents to work with next year, as she only has 2 years left as a WLN parent. If you're interested in helping her out, contact wlnmbfood@gmail.com.
If you would like to nominate a student and/or a parent to be featured in our newsletter, please contact Liz Vachon at lizvachon@gmail.com We are looking for band, choir, and orchestra students and parents that are having fun being involved in our program.
RaiseRight
Raise Right continues offering new ways to earn money all year for your student(s) with a forth option coming soon. Learn more at https://www.raiseright.com/shop --> How it Works
Current Options:
1. Gift Cards - Earn a percentage back with purchases of e-cards and plastic cards
2. Online Shopping - Connect with Raise Right when you shop online and earn the indicated percentage back
3. Local Dining- 5% back on total paid at local restaurants when using a card linked to your account
Go to Kroger Community Rewards to register your Kroger Plus card and earn money for our music program, just by shopping for your groceries! The Music Boosters use the profits for whatever our incredible teachers need which directly benefits all of our students in band, choir and orchestra. Our Organization name is Walled Lake Northern Music Boosters and our organization number is PA319 for registration. Sign up today!
Better Made Chip Fundraiser
Our Better Made Chip Fundraiser was a salty success! We earned Just under $700 for the Marching Band! Every little bit counts and we are thankful for Leslie Szalk and Jack Darnell for another successful chip fundraiser!
Pick-Up Your Chips: Tuesday, October 14 in the WLN Band Hallway – before, during, and after rehearsal
Thanks for your support!
LAST CALL!!!
CAN'T SELL YOUR TICKETS? NO PROBLEM!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE RETURN THE UNSOLD TICKETS TO THE BAND BOX ASAP!
There is a long list of people who want to buy those tickets, but they can't until you return them. Thank you so much for helping us sell EVERY SINGLE TICKET!!!
Coffee for a Cause at Cooper's Dish
Cooper's Dish on Union Lake Road is donating to the Marching Band half of the cost of a Vanilla Cardamom Cold Brew or a Warm Apple Tea for the week of October 21st through the 25th! Just tell them you are with the Walled Lake Northern Marching Band and get yourself a delicious treat! Thank you Katrina Bergunder for making this fundraiser happen for our Marching Knights!
Special Thanks
Senior year is a time to celebrate, and our dedicated team works hard to help create memories that will last a lifetime.
A special thank you goes out to Claire Vachon, a proud Marching Knights alum, for photographing and editing the senior banner portraits. Her talent ensures that each senior shines! Mrs. H is excited to display the banners in her classroom once football season wraps up. Families will receive their banners at the end of the school year.
We also want to recognize Aladdin Printing in Commerce Township for their outstanding work in printing the senior banners. We partner with them year after year, and they never disappoint—their print quality and quick turnaround time are truly appreciated!
The senior buttons have arrived and are being picked up by parents at the football games. A heartfelt thank you to Roger Martin for continuing the beloved tradition of capturing our seniors for the buttons.
Here’s to celebrating our seniors in style!
Join us! All are welcome!
Our next Music Booster Meeting is October 8th at 7pm in the Choir Room.
