FROM THE FINE ARTS OFFICE
A Season of Momentum
October is a month of remarkable energy across Bixby Fine Arts. Students are building new productions, preparing for upcoming performances, and discovering what can happen when talent is matched with commitment, collaboration, and sustained effort.
This month’s stories reflect that momentum. The Pride of Bixby opened its competitive season with an extraordinary achievement, Spartan Genesis is preparing for its second season as one of Oklahoma’s highest-ranked competitive show choirs, and our theatre students are bringing compelling stories to the stage. Volunteers throughout the district also continue working behind the scenes to create meaningful opportunities for our students.
These accomplishments are not isolated moments. They are evidence of students, educators, families, and community members working together to build something lasting. I am proud to share their stories with you.
Jeremy Parker
Coordinator of Fine Arts
Bixby Public Schools
CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE
Pride of Bixby Named Owasso Invitational Grand Champion
The Pride of Bixby overcame severe rain, lightning, and repeated weather delays to earn first place and sweep every major honor at the 2026 Owasso Marching Invitational.
Although the stormy conditions ultimately forced the cancellation of the evening finals, the Pride triumphed during the preliminary round. Performing its 2026 production, One of One, Bixby earned the highest score of the competition with a commanding 79.625 and was named the Owasso Invitational Grand Champion. The performance also marked the competitive debut of the band’s polished new uniform look.
The Pride’s exceptional precision under pressure was reflected in a sweep of the major honors:
1st Place — Grand Champion
Outstanding Music Performance
Outstanding Visual Performance
Outstanding General Effect
Best Percussion
Bixby Bands students, staff, and directors demonstrated remarkable grace, flexibility, and professionalism throughout the weather disruptions—truly embodying what it means to be the Pride of Bixby.
Congratulations, Pride! We are incredibly proud of you. Go Bixby! Go Pride!
Watch the award-winning performance of One of One
COMING TO SPARTAN STADIUM
The 16th Annual Bixby Tournament of Bands
Join us Saturday, October 3, at Bixby High School Spartan Stadium for the 16th Annual Bixby Tournament of Bands! This annual event brings outstanding marching bands together for an unforgettable day of music, movement, and competition.
Preliminary performances begin at 10:15 a.m., followed by a special exhibition performance by the Pride of Bixby at 3:15 p.m. The finals competition begins at 6:00 p.m.
Admission
General admission: $15
Students and senior citizens: $10
BPS faculty: Free with school credentials
Don’t forget to gear up and support the students. Preorder a BTOB contest T-shirt for $20, an event program for $10, an Air Gram for $5, or a Fan Favorite vote for $5.
Shop BTOB merchandise and extras
90 YEARS OF BIXBY BANDS
Bixby Bands Alumni: It’s Time to Reunite!
Once a member of the Pride of Bixby, always a member of the Pride of Bixby! For 90 years—1936 to 2026—Bixby Bands has been building musicians, building traditions, and making fine music. Whether you marched last year or decades ago, the Bixby Band Alumni Social on October 3 is for you.
Admission to the preliminary and final rounds of BTOB
Band dogs and dessert
A tour of Bixby’s new Fine Arts facilities
An invitation to join fellow alumni on the field before the Pride’s exhibition
Tickets are $15 per person. Children ages five and younger are free.
Register for the Alumni Social
BEHIND THE SCENES
A New Trailer for the Pride of Bixby
A dedicated team of Bixby Band Boosters recently saw a need—and tackled it. Their work on the Pride of Bixby’s new equipment trailer represents the spirit of service that makes so many student experiences possible. We cannot thank this team enough for the time, skill, and hard work they invested in completing this important project.
We also extend our appreciation to the dozens of Band Booster volunteers working behind the scenes every day. They staff concessions, manage uniforms, support communications, chaperone students, feed the band, build props, drive trucks and semis, organize fundraisers, and take on countless other responsibilities.
These volunteers may rarely stand in the spotlight, but their work helps ensure that the Pride of Bixby shines every time it takes the field.
VOCAL MUSIC
Spartan Genesis Ranked Third in Oklahoma
Spartan Genesis, Bixby High School’s competitive show choir, recently completed 30 hours of intensive choreography during its second weekend of choreography camp.
The ensemble is preparing for only its second year of competition and is already making an impression. Spartan Genesis is currently ranked third among Oklahoma’s competitive show choirs, following the highly regarded programs at Broken Arrow and Jenks.
Throughout camp, students worked to strengthen their vocal performance, choreography, stage presence, and identity as an ensemble. The long hours and demanding rehearsals are helping prepare Genesis for a spring semester filled with opportunities to perform and compete.
Meet the Directors: Avery Finley & Jace Caldwell
Choir teachers Avery Finley and Jace Caldwell lead Spartan Genesis as the ensemble prepares for its second competitive season.
Follow Bixby Vocal Music: Facebook · Instagram
HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA
The Troupe Presents Radium Girls
Bixby High School’s The Troupe will present D.W. Gregory’s Radium Girls at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 29, in C.E. Gray Auditorium. This special public performance is free to attend.
Set in 1926 and inspired by a true story, Radium Girls begins during an era when radium was celebrated as a miracle cure and luminous watches had become the latest sensation. The young women employed to paint those glowing watch dials were assured that the material was safe—until they began developing mysterious and devastating illnesses.
The History Behind the Play
Dial painters at the United States Radium Corporation, 1922. NIST/Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
1921 Undark advertisement. Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
The play follows dial painter Grace Fryer as she searches for the truth about her illness and fights to hold her employer accountable. Her struggle unfolds against a world in which scientific discovery, aggressive marketing, corporate profit, and human responsibility have become dangerously entangled.
Fast-moving and deeply relevant, Radium Girls examines what can happen when painful truths are ignored—and celebrates the courage of individuals willing to challenge powerful institutions. The real women behind the story helped bring national attention to the dangers of radium exposure and became an enduring part of America’s workplace-safety history.
Radium Girls
Thursday, October 29 · 7:30 p.m.
C.E. Gray Auditorium
Free public performance
Follow Bixby High School Drama: Facebook · Instagram
MIDDLE SCHOOL DRAMA
Bixby Middle School Presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
A shadowy figure, a lonely road, and the chilling legend of a rider who never rests…
The Bixby Middle School Spartan Players will bring Washington Irving’s classic tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to the stage November 6 and 7 in an adaptation by Peter and Hans Bloedel.
The story follows Ichabod Crane, an ambitious and highly superstitious schoolmaster who arrives in the secluded community of Sleepy Hollow. As Ichabod becomes entangled in local rivalries and stories of the legendary Headless Horseman, the line between imagination and reality begins to disappear.
Filled with mystery, humor, suspense, and one of American literature’s most memorable legends, this production will give Bixby Middle School students the opportunity to develop their skills in acting, ensemble storytelling, technical theatre, and stagecraft.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
November 6 & 7 · 7:00 p.m.
Bixby Middle School Stage · 15400 S. Mingo Road
Tickets: $5
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT
Toni Ross, Bixby Middle School theatre teacher and Broadway in Bixby co-founder.
Toni Ross Builds Confidence Through Theatre
At Bixby Middle School, theatre teacher Toni Ross is helping young performers discover their voices, take creative risks, and experience the excitement of bringing a story to life.
Through acting, technical theatre, production work, and ensemble collaboration, Mrs. Ross creates opportunities for students to develop confidence and learn how every person contributes to the success of a production. Her classroom combines high expectations with the encouragement young performers need as they begin finding their place onstage and behind the scenes.
Her influence also extends beyond the school year. As a co-founder of Broadway in Bixby Summer Theatre Camp, Mrs. Ross helps provide young artists with additional opportunities to learn, perform, and connect with others through theatre.
This fall, she leads the Bixby Middle School cast and crew of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, continuing her outstanding work of building both skilled performers and a strong community of young artists.
Broadway in Bixby
Follow Broadway in Bixby: Facebook · Instagram
SAVE THE DATE
The Bixby Fine Arts Fair Returns May 1
Mark your calendars for the 2027 Bixby Fine Arts Fair, coming to downtown Bixby on Saturday, May 1!
Throughout the day, the stage at Charley Young Event Park will feature music and theatrical performances presented by students from the Bixby instrumental music, vocal music, and drama departments.
A highlight of the festival will be the districtwide student art show at Soul II Sole Performing Arts. The exhibition will showcase the imagination, skill, and creative voices of young artists from across Bixby Public Schools.
The Bixby Fine Arts Fair brings our students, educators, families, and community together for a full day celebrating the arts in Bixby. Additional schedules, participating groups, and event details will be announced this spring.
Saturday, May 1, 2027
Downtown Bixby
Charley Young Event Park & Soul II Sole Performing Arts
OUR MISSION
Bixby Fine Arts helps every student discover and develop their creative voice through excellent instruction, meaningful artistic experiences, and a community where they are known and valued. Across every artistic discipline, we pursue excellence, foster belonging, and help shape confident, thoughtful people.
What We Create Shapes Who We Become.
BIXBY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FINE ARTS
Instrumental Music · Vocal Music · Visual Arts · Theatrical Arts
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