Extracurricular Activities

Band

Broad Run's band program includes over 100 students, with two concert bands, a marching band, a jazz ensemble, and a jazz lab. The program has won many awards and competitions over a 30+ year history, both locally and on school sponsored trips in the second semester. Broad Run has been named a Virginia Honor Band, the top award for bands in Virginia, twice in its history (1996-1997 and 2003-2004). The band regularly plans spring trips for the month of April to various festivals across the country, including in past years: Orlando, Virginia Beach, Walt Disney World, and Myrtle Beach. Broad Run regularly has multiple students make the All Virginia Band and Orchestra, which is comprised of the top high school musicians in the Commonwealth.

Recent history

In September of 2000, Eric Van Nederynen was shot and killed while walking to a shopping center near his home. A bari saxaphonist in the band, his murder shocked the entire community in a region that had experienced little violent crime.

In the past 10 years the program has seen a rapid turnover of directors, having 4 from 1996 to present. Barely one year after the shooting, then-band director of the school, Jeffery Kelley, was arrested and charged with two felony counts of taking indecent liberties with two students in the band. Kelley was only caught after being wrongly accused by a disgruntled freshman, upset with her grade in his class. Although this initial accusation was later proved false, it prompted two actual victims to come forth with similar allegations. Director of the band program since 1997, parents and students were shocked by his arrest after knowing him for over 4 years. However, Kelley pled guilty to the charges in March of 2002 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, all but six months suspended and is a registered sex offender. Following his mid-school year departure, Rob Romich took over the program, successfully leading the program to receive high ratings at festivals for the top three bands in the program (wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, and marching band) and becoming a Virginia Honor Band once again. Lisa Napoli was hired to replace Romich in the summer of 2005 and is the current director of bands at Broad Run.

Since Loudoun County Public Schools opened a string program in the middle schools in 2002 to 6th graders, Broad Run and the other nine Loudoun high schools now also have string ensembles starting in the 2005-2006 school year during the school day. As the string program continues to grow, as well as Loudoun County in general, there are plans to introduce a full orchestra program at the high school level similar to the programs found in neighboring Fairfax County.

Color Guard

Broad Run's color guard program has become a highlight of the Fine Arts program at Broad Run. Under the direction of Catina Anderson, the Fall and Winter Guards have won virtually every competition they have attended beginning in the 2000s.^{[citation needed]} The Fall Guard competes as a unit of the marching band, while the Winter Guard competes independently indoors against various guards from all across the Mid-Atlantic region. The 2006 show was dedicated to the Race for the Cure for Breast Cancer with the music selection and choreography tailored to the theme. In addition, the Winter Guard collected donations throughout the season to donate for breast cancer research and participate in the 2006 Race for the Cure. In the same season, the Winter Guard won the Gold Medal in their division at the Atlantic Indoor Association Championships in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Debate