Lely High School
Naples, FL
1974-1984
I was a 21 year-old first teacher when Lely High School opened in 1974. I was the assistant to Jim Fagnano, a veteran teacher from Ohio who stayed two years before returning to Ohio. I immediately changed the marching band’s style from the Big Ten marching style to the HBCU style that I wanted.
After a couple of years, I adopted many elements from the world of DCI drum corps. I wrote all of our band shows and because I didn't want to wait an entire year for current pop songs to be released by publishing companies, I wrote the vast majority of our music.
Our marching band traditions included “hip, hip, let ‘er rip”, “high knee lift and drive”, the “lance” formation, the running cadence, “eat-a-root”, and the pre-game entrance. Some of you might even remember doing the Twisty Treat ice cream TV commercial. Our symphonic bands were highly rated at District/State Festivals and we made a 33 RPM record in 1983; an image of the cover is included on this site.
