Battle Ground bands place in regional jazz festival

Battle Ground — Battle Ground High School’s advanced jazz band won first place in the Open Division at the Skyview Jazz Festival on Dec. 5, and also took home the competition’s sight-reading trophy. The high school’s intermediate jazz band finished second in the A Division, and the Chief Umtuch Middle School jazz band finished third in the Middle School Division. High school senior Steve Montecucco, a trumpet player, junior Riley Brown, who plays the trombone, and seventh-grader Alex Forstrom, a trumpet player, were honored for their solos. The high school’s advanced band and Chief Umtuch jazz band are directed by Greg McKelvey, while the high school’s intermediate band is directed by Evan Irwin.