A Data Science and Analytics major with an interest in studying the history and statistics behind Nebraska's high school sports and activities.

October 8, 2026:

Dear Readers,

Before we begin with the main message of this letter, I hope to update you on my university leadership status, as of October 8 of this year:

• I was elected as the new Assistant Director of Layout for Case Western Reserve University's Discussions Undergraduate Research Journal; my contribution in that position will be effective starting with the upcoming Fall, 2026 edition.

• I am maintaining my position of treasurer in Ensemble, the university's French Language and Culture club.

Now, let's get to main subject, which is the 2026 marching season. It is in full swing, so let's recount what has happened so far:

• September 19

  • At the Wildcat Classic, Lincoln (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) won 1st place overall in the finals, taking home four of five captions (Outstanding General Effect, Music, Visual, Percussion); Papillion La Vista South, which placed 2nd overall, took home the Outstanding Color Guard caption. Prelims class champions include Lincoln (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) in 5A, Lincoln Southeast in 4A, Gretna in 3A, and MOC-Floyd Valley (Orange City, Iowa) in 2A.

• September 26

  • At the Titan Marching Invitational, Elkhorn South won 1st place overall in the finals, being the highest scorer in Effect and Color Guard; Northwest (Waukee, Iowa) placed 2nd overall, and was the highest scorer in Percussion; Harrisburg (Harrisburg, South Dakota) placed 3rd overall, and was the highest scorer in Visual; Elkhorn North placed 4th overall, and was the highest scorer in Music. Prelims class champions include Northwest (Waukee, Iowa) in 5A, Elkhorn South in 4A, Elkhorn North in 3A, and West Lyon (Inwood, Iowa) in 2A.

  • At the Bellevue Band Festival, Millard North, Blue Valley (Overland Park, Kansas), and Gretna were 5A, 4A, and 3A champions respectively; except for Columbus (3rd place in 4A) capturing the caption for Percussion, the three class champions swept the caption awards. Though awards for overall rankings were never officially given, Blue Valley scored highest, with Millard North placing 2nd, and Gretna placing 3rd. View unarchived page for overall rankings.

  • At the Golden Regiment Invitational Marching Festival (Blue Springs, Missouri), Gretna East and Millard West both competed; in the Purple Show contest (competition takes place within separate band size classifications), both schools swept all three captions, won Outstanding Drum Major, and placed 1st within their respective classes. Later, in the Gold Show contest (this time involves school size classifications; includes overall rankings), Gretna East placed 4th, and Millard West placed 3rd in their separate classes; the 2026 Wildcat Classic champion, Lincoln (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), placed 2nd in both Millard West's class and the overall standings.

• October 3

  • At the Capital City Marching Championships, Millard South won 1st place overall in the finals, winning Best Effect, Marching, and Color Guard; Omaha Westside placed 2nd overall, and won Best Music and Best Percussion. Prelims class champions include Millard South in 5A, Elkhorn South in 4A, Elkhorn in 3A, and Plattsmouth in 2A.

  • At the Bands of America Iowa Regional Championship, five Nebraska bands competed in the prelims: Bellevue East, Bellevue West, Elkhorn North, Gretna, and Papillion La Vista South. Of the five, Bellevue West and Papillion La Vista South made the finals, where the former placed 6th, and the latter placed 11th.

  • At Festival of Bands (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Millard West participated in the field competition; during the preliminaries, it placed 1st in its class, and captured Outstanding Percussion, Winds, and Color Guard, just losing Outstanding Drum Major to the 2026 Wildcat Classic first runner-up, Northwest (Waukee, Iowa). During the finals, Millard West ranked 1st overall.

• Interesting fact, for fellow Millard North fans: unless the band also missed 2016 and/or 2018 (I have yet to confirm Millard North's participation in either year), 2026 may be the first year in which Millard North did not perform in the Titan Marching Invitational.

I would be curious as to what the results were for the Norfolk Lyons Club Parade and the Bennington Marching Invitational, to name at least two....

Either way, look out for the Columbus Marching Festival, which will be paired with what the NSBA claims to be the first annual state parade marching championships; those events, along with the Links Marching Contest and Elkhorn Sounds of Excellence, are worthy of attention when they hopefully take place on October 10. During the Omaha Marching Invitational and the Lincoln Public Schools Marching Invitational, Millard North and Millard West are scheduled to compete in the Bands of America Indianapolis Super Regional Championship; all three of those enjoyable opportunities are scheduled to occur on the weekend of October 17. Lastly, watch Nebraska's high school bands vie to be their best selves at the NSBA State Marching Festivals and Contest, scheduled at three separate fields for October 24.

With all of that being said, I am adding histories of additional Nebraska high school marching events into the portfolio website. Please be patient, as I continuously contribute new information into those archives. Let's make this portfolio website the premier destination for the results history of Nebraska's high school band events. As for everyone involved in those band programs, you rock.

Very Respectfully,

Miles Divis

Dear Readers,

Welcome; the portfolio website was just launched. Below, I shall briefly introduce myself.

A former Omaha Burke student—and later a Millard North graduate—I am currently majoring in Data Science and Analytics, and minoring in at least Computer Gaming and French at Case Western Reserve University. As of this letter, I am serving as the treasurer of the university's Ensemble French Language and Culture Club, and contributing to three different sectors of the Discussions Undergraduate Research Journal: review, copy-editing, and layout.

There may not be much within the portfolio yet, though do expect it to grow over time. I intend to not only continue contributing to the history of Nebraska's schools, but also to various other interests.

Very Respectfully,

Miles Divis