The Alisal Union School District is pleased to announce that Alisal performance teams won first place in the 2025 Northern California Percussion Alliance Championships. The event took place on Saturday, April 5, at the Adventist Health Arena, Stockton, California.
The teams are composed of over 120 students in grades 1-6. The All Star Drumline, Colorguard, Cheer and Marimbas team competed in the Scholastic Junior Class for the first time, besting a middle school that performed in the same category. All students received a gold medal for their performance.
The Alisal Performance Arts Academy, composed of Mariachi, Marimbas and the District’s Folklorico Academy, competed together in the Scholastic Concert Junior class. This group has competed for three years and received their third consecutive 1st place and highest score to date.
The Alisal Performance Arts Academy and the All Star Ensemble have come a long way from humble beginnings. In 2013, the program began with two after-school drumline classes at two schools through a partnership with a local non-profit organization. In 2022, the Alisal Union School District won a California School Boards Association Golden Bell Award for its extended learning program, which by then included a plethora of activities that included programs in STEM, sports such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, and performing arts that are culturally relevant to the students such as folklórico dance, drumline, and mariachi.
The District now partners with different organizations that continue to support its performing arts programs, such as FORXA, which supports the music programs, and Danzantes del Valle, which supports its folklorico program.
Students practice every Saturday at schools throughout the Alisal Union School District. They will be performing on April 26 at Earth Day in Salinas, on April 27 at el Dia del Nino festival in Chavez Park, and on July 6 they will be traveling to Stanford University to perform for Drums Corps International West.
“The District is proud of these student performers, the teachers, coordinators, volunteers, and everyone who supports the success of the performing arts program,” Superintendent Jim Koenig said. “Hard work pays off, and these students have certainly worked hard to perfect their skills and be where they are now.”