City of West Hollywood to Honor Award-Winning Fairfax High School Marching Band and...

City of West Hollywood to Honor Award-Winning Fairfax High School Marching Band and Color Guard on Wednesday, December 19, 2007

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(Business Wire)--The City of West Hollywood will honor the Fairfax High School
Marching Band and Color Guard (Fairfax Marching Lions) at the next
regularly scheduled West Hollywood City Council meeting on Wednesday,
December 19, 2007 starting at 6:30 p.m. at West Hollywood Park
Auditorium located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The Fairfax
Marching Lions recently won first place in the Division 1 Los Angeles
Unified School District Band and Drill Championships. Fairfax High
School is the public high school serving West Hollywood, as well as
the City of Los Angeles.

"The entire community is very proud of the Fairfax Band and Color
Guard. We need to learn about more of these success stories in our
school district. As a former high school band member, I know how
important the musical arts are in our schools, and studies clearly
indicate that students who study music are more successful with their
school work and in life," said West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore
Jeffrey Prang.

Up until 15 months ago, the Fairfax High School Marching Band and
Color Guard program had laid dormant for more than 20 years. Almost a
year and a half ago, Raymundo Vizcarra, a new, first-year teacher was
hired to rebuild the band program. Interestingly, at the start of the
program 80 percent of the students had never played an instrument
before. However, since their return debut in September 2006, the band
had won numerous awards, including first place in the Los Angeles
African American History Parade in the Spring of 2007; honors at the
Rampage Field Tournament, Fall 2007; Lester Oaks Field Tournament,
Fall 2007; and Moorpark Battle of the Bands, Fall 2007.

"The Fairfax story is truly a 'Cinderella Story;' a first year
teacher revives a program that was cut almost 20 years ago, and in one
year molds them into a Championship program. LAUSD should be very
proud of these students, the staff and administration at Fairfax High
School," continued West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore Jeffrey Prang.

Fairfax High School boasts several famous alumni including Mickey
Rooney, Ricardo Montelban, Demi Moore, Herb Alpert, and Flea from the
Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as current Los Angeles County
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, also a band alum.

The Fairfax Marching Lions will be featured in an upcoming
documentary about high school marching bands called "From the 50 Yard
Line," www.fromthe50yardline.com.

For more information regarding Fairfax High School Marching Band
and Color Guard, please contact West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore
Jeffrey Prang at (323) 573-4801.

City of West Hollywood
Jeffrey Prang, Mayor Pro Tempore, 323-848-6460
Fax: 323-848-6562
jprang@weho.org

Copyright Business Wire 2007