History

Nederland High School Westernaires | est. 1956

​The Nederland High School Westernaire Drill Team and Dance Corp. was established in 1956 after the NHS Girl's physical education class approached their teacher, Bobbie Bushnell, with the idea of establishing a drill team. The original squad had 22 members. The Westernaires were established to promote pride in NHS and throughout the community, as well as providing an additional extracurricular activity for the growing NHS student population. The first Westernaire Captain was Barbara Palmer.

The name Westernaires interestingly was not the first choice of the student body. When the group was formed, a contest was held to find a name for the new organization. The NHS student body submitted names such as Bulldogettes and Kicksters, however this is not what Mrs. Bushnell had in mind for her new group. One day, as Mrs. Bushnell was discussing the problem with a custodian at the school named EJ Bellow, he asked what the uniforms looked like. After Mrs. Bushnell described them to him, he said why not call them the "Westernaires". Everyone liked the name so much that it was decided upon as the name for the new drill team. Later, at the 1974 Spring Review, the Westernaire alumni presented Mr. Bellow's widow with a plaque in his honor.

In 1957, a new director was chosen to lead the Westernaires. Estelle Florey had been a member of the Kilgore Rangerettes. She disbanded the original team and established new, stricter guidelines centering on conduct, academics, and appearance. The "new" drill team was patterned after the Rangerettes. It was Florey's guidance that established the pattern of all future Westernaire teams.

Following Florey, Beverlye Cabell and Ann Hutchins each had brief stints as Westernaire director. When Hutchins resigned at mid-term, Beverly Minaldi, a Civics teacher at NHS, was asked to accept the post. She did, and was paid $100 to become the sponsor of the still fledgling organization. After two years of putting much time and effort into the group, Minaldi needed a break, so she stepped down as director and Sandra Rasberry replaced her. However, Rasberry was not in the post for long when she, too, resigned. Because Minaldi had done so well with the group in her previous tenure, school officials approached her again, this time with more money. Minaldi took the post and was director for several more years.

When Minaldi stepped aside a second time, she was replaced by Claudine Majors. However, Majors was not director for long. When she decided to step down, Minaldi once again answered the call for the next few seasons. Sheila Lavoi then held the position as Westernaire Director until 1974, when, you guessed it- Beverly Minaldi made another comeback. This time, however, Minaldi was in the position for many years to come. She remained the Westernaire director for the next 25 years.

In 1976, Minaldi took the Westernaires to their first-ever national competition. Fifty girls flew to California to compete in the Miss Drillteam USA competition- one of hundreds of teams that were there to compete. Few expected that the Nederland group had any chance against the much larger schools on the national level. Minaldi had intended this first trip to nationals to be nothing more than a morale builder, but it very quickly became much more. The girls won the event and became national champions. Of this milestone Minaldi said, "It was an incredible moment I'll never forget. It was almost magical, but that's where it really all began for the Westernaires." There were many good years to come.

Since the mid-1970s, the Nederland High School Westernaires have traveled to dozens of state and national events. They have performed in Canada, France, Japan, England, Spain, Mexico, Africa, and Switzerland. They have appeared before heads of state and other famous people including President Jimmy Carter, Great Britain's Prince Andrew, Texas Governor John Connally, Texas Governor Bill Clements, and First Lady Betty Ford. In the 1980s, the Westernaires were invited to perform in Moscow, however concerns over the political situation at that time prompted school district officials to deny permission for the trip. The Westernaires have raised money for numerous causes including the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. They have also performed at major sporting events featuring the Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Rockets. Of course, they have also performed at nearly every local parade and Nederland Football game since 1956, as well as the annual Westernaire Spring Revue dance show.

In 2000, Beverly Minaldi once again left the Westernaires, but this time, only retirement could pull her away. Minaldi retired from the education field after more than 40 years of service and dedication. She left an indelible mark on the organization that she had fostered for most of its existence. The new director, Hannah Holcomb Gigliotta, was no stranger to the group, however. Gigliotta, a former Kilgore Rangerette, had been the Assistant Director for several years and had served as a Lieutenant on the 1992-1993 Westernaire Squad. When Gigliotta decided to step down in 2004, another former Westernaire Captain and Rangerette, Natalie Neumann Gomez took over and led the group until 2009. Today Gomez serves as the principal at Nederland High School. Yet another former Captain and Rangerette, Laura Maldonado Kendrick, began as Westernaire Director in 2009. Under her leadership the Westernaires maintained the high standards associated with the Westernaire organization fulfilling their role as representatives of Nederland High School. Laura Kendrick asked Jessica Blanchard to become her Assistant in 2016. The two had a relationship dating back several years of working together in the dance and drill team world, and during their time of directing together brought the team to new heights. When Kendrick decided to step down as director at the end of her 11th year as Director, Blanchard took on the role as Director with great honor and pride. She will continue the tradition of excellence and original goal of promoting pride in NHS and the community through the Westernaire organization in the years to come.