April 2014

In This Issue

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Give to the Band

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Upcoming Events:

Saturday 4/19

WLax vs. UNH

1pm LaValle Stadium

Friday 4/25

Color Guard & Drumline Showcase

3pm Staller Steps

Friday 5/2

Roth Regatta

Sunday 5/4

Athletic Bands Banquet

7pm West Lake Inn

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Pepsi #HALFTIME Commercial

On Tuesday, January 21, 20 members of the band faced the snowy weather of New York City to participate in a commercial that promoted the Super Bowl halftime show. Pepsi and Flavorpill sponsored three flash mobs, one in New York City, one in San Francisco, and one in San Diego to get those cities hyped for the big game - marching bands, cheerleaders, dancers and all. Click here to watch.

Bat Mitzvah at The Space at Westbury

On Saturday, March 8, a select group of band members put on a show at The Space at Westbury. The performance was part of a celebration during a a spectacular bat mitzvah organized by Chez-zam Event Group, a renowned event planning company based on Long Island. Led by Associate Drum Major, Andre Leon, the group performed several

crowd favorites to rave reviews.

Band Superfan Goes Viral

Many passionate Seawolves fans were in Pritchard Gym on Sunday, March 2 to cheer the Men's Basketball team to victory over UAlbany. But just minutes before the game, one fan made sure that he was heard, and eventually received national attention. Band member James Jr. Iannotto (Junior) was placed right behind ESPN's Frank Sullivan and Eric Frede right before they started their broadcast. Once they were on air, Junior flashed a poster of his own red-painted face while screaming. Later he was featured on Deadspin among other national publications. Watch him here.

Community Outreach: Panama with VAW

Courtney Ladowski (alto sax) spent her spring break in Bocas del Torro, Panama with Stony Brook's Volunteers Around the World. There, she was on a medical mission in which she participated in free clinics to provide care to those in need. Some didn't even have clean water to drink. This life-changing experience is one that Courtney is very thankful for. "I have been truly touched and inspired to make a difference in the world," she said.

Community Outreach: Alternative Spring Break

Metsha Renois (drumline), Chelsea Byrd (clarinet) and Daniel Halpern (baritone) spent their spring breaks in Colorado with Stony Brook's club, Alternative Spring Break Outreach (ASBO). In Estes Park, they did disaster relief, including removing debris from last year's flood. They also helped homeowners build and paint. "It was an

amazing experience," Metsha said.

Pep Band Day: Strengthening the Educational Pipeline

The pep band welcomed more than 50 local high school students to Pritchard Gym on Wednesday, January 15 for the Spirit of Stony Brook's Annual Pep Band Day. They joined the band in the stands and played nearly every tune. They also cheered for the men's basketball team as it took on Binghamton. Many of them were very excited to experience being a member of a college pep band as well as attending a Division I basketball game. Each participant received a red Pep Band Day t-shirt to show their Stony Brook pride.

Admitted Student Day

On Saturday, April 5, the band performed at Stony Brook's Admitted Student Day. Many prospective students and their guests gathered to listen to the band's tunes and to watch the color guard's moves. After the performance, John Mele (piccolo), Chris Valentino (tenor sax), Katie Lankowicz (trumpet) and Reisa Miller (color guard) spoke to students who were interested in joining the band. They did a great job of answering questions and recruiting! To see pictures from

the band's performance, click here.

Pep Rally at Setauket Elementary School

On Wednesday, February 26, band members and Wolfie visited Setauket Elementary School to perform a Stony Brook pep rally to get the students excited for the rest of their day. Later, students from Setauket and Arrowhead Elementary Schools packed Pritchard Gym to celebrate the women's basketball team's Senior Day and Kids' Day. The team beat

Vermont 66-57.

Golden Key Summit Kick-off

On Saturday, March 1 the The Golden Key International Honour Society's Regional Summit was hosted by Stony Brook University. Leaders from all over the northeast participated in a weekend-long leadership conference on campus. The color guard and drumline helped kick off the event by leading all of the participants from the Stony Brook Hilton to the SAC Lobby.

America East Tournament Band

A select group of band members traveled to Albany to support the men's and women's basketball teams as they competed in the America East Championship Tournament. The band cheered on both teams, which went undefeated over the weekend to advance to the finals, and debuted some new tunes such as Pharrell Williams' Happy and Bruno Mars' Runaway Baby.

Men's Basketball Recap

The men's basketball team finished the season with a 23-11 overall record. Steve Pikiell became the program's all-time winningest head coach in February. The Seawolves hosted the America East Championship Finals as the #2 seed on Saturday, March 15 and fell to Albany. The team ended their season in the first round of the CBI against Siena. Seniors Dave Coley, Anthony Jackson, Eric McAlister and Ben Resner

will be graduating this spring.

Women's Basketball Recap

The women's basketball team had a historic season. The team won a D1 record 24 games, tying for the most in school history and made its second D1 postseason appearance. The Seawolves made it to the America East Championship Finals at Albany as a #2 seed and fell to the Great Danes. Their season ended in the first round of the WNIT against Michigan. Seniors Teasha Harris, Chikilra Goodman and Natalie Myers will be graduating this spring.

Parent Spotlight

Richard and Sharon Leon

Hometown: Roswell, GA

Son: Andre Leon

It came as no surprise to us when Andre chose Stony Brook University over the other 7 schools we visited between his high school junior and senior years. His suburban Atlanta high school classmates (as well as our friends) wondered how he landed at SBU when he had highly ranked colleges in Georgia from which to choose. Andre matched SBUs academic credentials to his aspirations. The fact that he was born at SBU Hospital may have also influenced his decision.

His education at a science and math magnet HS prepared Andre for SBU academically, but we think it was the rewarding experience and positive influence that HS marching band had on Andre that factored into his participation in SBU's marching band. As parents 900 miles away, we could not be happier that Andre chose the band as his creative outlet. The fact that he has morphed into a leadership role as Associate Drum Major is a bonus. Andre is very fond of his relationship with his Seawolf classmates, and talks to us about them like family. Speaking of family, we were thrilled to finally make it to SBU for family weekend this year!