Baton Twirler Turns to Facebook in Bid For Arcadia High School Band Slot

Arcadia High School freshman Kelsey Miller isn't one to take "no" for an answer.

When Kelsey approached band Director Kevin Sherrill about her desire to twirl baton for the band, she was told she could join the color guard—just not as a majorette.

Undaunted, Kelsey put her faith in the power of social media and started a Facebook page: AHS Needs Kelsey Miller As Their Twirler.

The page has quickly picked up steam since it launched about six weeks ago, garnering more than 230 likes and counting.

"I'm dedicated at what I do and I want to make the band that much better," Kelsey said.

Kelsey began twirling baton at age 4. She then graduated to First Avenue Middle School's Marching Spartans Band.

Now 14, Kelsey has racked up an impressive number of state, regional, and national baton championship titles. Just last month, she scored a trophy at America's Youth on Parade—a competition held at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Kelsey's mother, Shana Miller, said her daughter's "hard work and dedication should be rewarded" with the opportunity to twirl for Arcadia High, which hasn't had a majorette in more than 20 years.

Also, twirling competitively with the high school band would boost Kelsey's chance of earning college scholarships.

Reached by phone, Sherrill said he met with the Millers, but student privacy laws prevent school officials from discussing the specifics of those conversations.

However, he did say a baton twirler would not "fit in" with the band's competition choreography.

"The visual component of our marching band organization is the color guard," Sherrill said. "It's what I call a modern color guard. Our particular color guard doesn't include twirlers, so we wouldn't be able to create a single twirler position."

Kelsey could, he said, twirl alongside the color guard during a handful of community parades or other non-competitive band exhibitions.

But Shana Miller said the demanding color guard rehearsal, performance and competition schedule leaves no time for baton practice. Also, Kelsey would be promoted to First Flag her junior year; as such, she could no longer even twirl during parades.

"We have tried really hard to make it clear that we are not trying to change the program that already exists or asking them to accommodate us to suit our needs," Shana Miller said. "We are just asking them to find a non-invasive way to allow her to do something that's she's passionate about, something that's not going to interfere with what they already have in place."

For now, Kelsey she says she'll continue working with her private coach and entering non-school related baton competitions. In the meantime, she has no plans to give up lobbying for a twirler position with the AHS band.

Do you think Arcadia High School's band should have a full-time baton twirler? If so, "like" Kelsey's page here.