EJHS Bands

History was made this week for the EJHS band at LGPE.

8th Grade Band: — Superior Rating (highest possible)
Symphonic Band: — Superior Rating
Win Ensemble: — Superior Rating

The music performed at this event comes from a state list ranked by difficulty (Grades 1 (easiest) – 6 (hardest)).

• The Symphonic Band performed a Grade 4 program for the first time in school history.
• The Wind Ensemble performed a Grade 6 program for the first time in school history.

Notably, the Wind Ensemble was one of only two programs in the entire district performing at the Grade 6 level this year, and still earned a Superior rating, the highest rating possible. Both groups achieved these results while performing the most difficult music in our school’s history.

We were thrilled to have Vincent Rosse with us today at EJHS! Mr. Rosse recently retired as Director of Bands at Stephenson Middle School and brings over 25 years of experience as a respected conductor, adjudicator, and music educator. He is a National High School Band Directors Hall of Fame inductee and John Philip Sousa Legion of Honor recipient. His ensembles have performed in prestigious festivals and venues across the country and abroad. We’re grateful for the opportunity for our students to learn from his leadership and expertise!

We were excited to host William Kilgore today as a guest clinician for the EJHS Band. Mr. Kilgore recently retired after 30 years with Jackson County Schools and has an outstanding reputation as a conductor and educator throughout the Southeast. He has worked extensively with honor bands, been a judge for LGPE, and marching band competitions, and also has the distinct honor of being one of this year’s All-State Band Conductors. We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity for our students to learn from his experience and leadership.

Welcome to the east side Coach Henderson! Can’t wait for Friday nights!

Welcome to East Jackson, Coach Ashley Henderson, who becomes the 7th head football coach in Eagle program history! Coach Henderson will begin his duties at EJHS in the coming weeks, and we look forward to his leadership within the football program, school and community!

At the beginning of January, 11 EJHS band students were selected to participate in the 76th Annual January High School Band Festival. Students submitted audition videos and were selected to out over 1000+ students from around the state.

EJHS and JCHS students spent the day together traveling to and from rehearsals, eating lunch and dinner together, and were fortunate enough to watch the UGA Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble perform.

Following a careful evaluation of road conditions throughout our county and extremely low overnight temperatures, the Jackson County School System has determined that Tuesday will present hazardous driving conditions due to ice. Areas of the county with heavy tree coverage have not received sufficient sunlight to fully melt remaining ice, increasing the risk for both students and staff.

As a result, the Jackson County School System will be closed on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. All extracurricular activities scheduled for Tuesday are cancelled.

What a fantastic 2025 for the EJHS Band! Here’s to 2026 as we continue making music and memories together!

All smiles last night :)

Our first ever post season community performance was a hit! Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us this year. This has been a milestone year for the Pride of the East Side and it's only going up from here! BUT, it's not over JUST yet. Come see us perform tonight at halftime at Columbia High School in round 1 of the GHSA playoffs.

Go Eagles!