From left-right: 2018 Perry Drum Majors Allie Taggart and Adriana Eastman, and Band Director Brad Sparks

The Perry School District has suddenly found itself without a band director, with the recent resignation of High School Instrumental Music Instructor Brad Sparks.

Superintendent Clark Wicks says Sparks, who was in his third year with the District, accepted a job teaching at a college in California, which Wicks admitted was an opportunity too good to pass up. However, the timing is less than ideal, with the current school year still getting off the ground. Luckily, Wicks says former Perry band teacher Steve Cook has offered to fill the void in regards to the most important instrumental event of the year: the annual Perry Band Olympics. “We don’t like to see anybody leave, but especially mid-year it’s going to be difficult. But where we’re going to pick it up from there, we need to make sure the Band Olympics is taken care of. And Steve Cook has stepped up, and he will be taking care of the organization, and make sure that the Band Olympics is going to be taken care of and will have the same kind of quality service and integrity with Band Olympics. So that’s huge.”

As for finding a replacement for Sparks as the high school instrumental music instructor, Wicks says they’ll start a search immediately. He’s hopeful that the District will receive some good applicants, though he’s tempering his expectations given the timing of the opening. Wicks adds, if no viable candidates are found, there’s a possibility that Cook could serve as interim director for the remainder of the school year. To learn more about this and other Perry School District topics, click the link below to listen to the recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Wicks.

https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2019/10/15/lets-talk-dallas-county-10-15-2019-clark-wicks/