New Battle Ground High School band director Danielle Armstrong is no stranger to the district, nor the Tigers’ program that Greg McKelvey directed since 1996.
Armstrong previously served as the band director for Lewisville Middle School turned Chief Umtuch Middle School for 21 years. Prior to that, Armstrong played music throughout her education, from middle school to college, and studied music at George Fox University.
“I graduated with my music degree from George Fox and started teaching in McMinnville. Then I had babies, stayed home for about eight years and came back here to Battle Ground,” Armstrong said. “It was actually Greg McKelvey who kind of told me about the job here and turned me on to that, and then I worked Lewisville when it was the middle school and then it transferred into Chief Umtuch, and I’ve been working there. So I was 21 years at that middle school position and now I’m doing this thing.”
Replacing McKelvey means Armstrong has big shoes to fill, which has Armstrong excited. McKelvey began teaching at the high school in 1996 and he capped off his retirement in 2024 as the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade grand marshal.
“It’s kind of nostalgic because, interestingly enough, when I was in college, I did my student teaching underneath Greg, and then Greg got me this job here,” Armstrong said. “I’ve worked with Greg for so many years, and to follow him was just kind of a really cool part of our friendship because we’ve developed that friendship over the years. And, I’ve trained a lot of these kids. I’ve been involved with them for a long time. So, it’s been really special just to do that.”
Armstrong taught many of the Battle Ground High School band students when they attended Chief Umtuch Middle School or knew them from events attended by other district middle schools. Despite that Armstrong is most looking forward to this year being a transition year in a sense, she said.
She added that she’s looking forward to the amount of music band members will play and playing with them during class and figuring out what suits each student best.
“I’m looking forward to just getting used to kind of the high school cycle and schedule of things so we can kind of build from there this year,” Armstrong said. “This is what I just call a transition year, just kind of me getting a feel for them and them getting a feel for me with what works with them, what works with me, and then we’ll kind of keep moving from there.”
The community of Battle Ground will have the opportunity to hear the band under Armstrong’s direction of Armstrong near the end of October. On Oct. 23, the concert, symphonic and jazz bands and wind ensemble will all play. The choir will also perform. The marching band will also play at the homecoming halftime show Oct. 25.
