Union High School employs a wide variety of quality teachers across many different subjects. Some of the more visible are the band directors of the Pride of Union Marching Band. The Union High School Band is directed by Adam and Katie De Venney, and over the years, they have become valued members of the community. They reformed the Union High School Band and led it to six consecutive state championships, and the band consistently ranks extremely high out of all the high school bands in Mississippi. The band has marched in the governor of Mississippi’s inaugural parade and has produced top quality musicians. All of this success results directly from the leadership of Adam and Katie De Venney.
Adam and Katie De Venney met in 2002 during their freshman music theory class while at Mississippi State University when they sat next to each other. Both of them each earned a bachelor’s degree in music education degrees from Mississippi State. Katie De Venney always knew she wanted to be a band director due to her passion for playing the clarinet. Adam De Venney, however, wanted to be a historian until Tracy Blaylock, his high school band director, suggested music education. After graduating from Mississippi State in 2007, Adam and Katie De Venney entered the job market and searched tirelessly for jobs. They interviewed at over twenty schools, and many saw them as too young and too inexperienced. However, Joey Ezelle decided to give the young couple a shot. On May 31, 2007, Adam and Katie De Venney interviewed at Union High School, and according to Adam De Venney, “it felt like home. Everything felt right.” In the years that followed, Adam and Katie De Venney reformed the band and led the band to six consecutive championships, a record which remains unbroken in Mississippi marching band history.
Adam and Katie De Venney are motivated each day by their students, parents, and community. They love the sense of community that Union brings as they both grew up in larger cities. The family atmosphere appeals to them and many others in Union, and as a young couple just out of college, Union accepted them and made them feel at home. Many band directors would use a small school like Union as a stepping-stone to a larger school; however, the De Venneys stay at Union because they love their “job, the school, the students, and the people [they] work with.” The De Venneys love their students, which keeps them motivated each day. In their free time, Adam De Venney likes to read, mow grass, and play golf. Katie De Venney likes to beat Adam at golf and cook. Both of the De Venneys also play their insturments in the orchestra at First Baptist Union and are valued leaders in the church.
The De Venneys have become valued members of the community over the past twelve years. They reformed the Union High School Band and directly contributed to its success. They teach their students valued life lessons that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Their impact is so strong that many students return to Union just to watch the band and catch up with their old band directors. Many students only feel connected and at home in band. Some students would not graduate high school without band and the influence of the De Venneys. They chose to make Union their home, and they love everything about the town. They will always be valued members of the community.
