Hello Mighty Hawk Band family,
I would like to take a moment and share with you some updates in my life. As many of you may know, this past spring break, my wife and I had our second child, Isaac. I then preceded to take four weeks of paternity leave to be with my family. The time shared with my family has been irreplaceable. I have done my absolute very best to balance my family life with my time here at Birdville. The challenge is that balance is like a seesaw and when one gives, the other pulls. With all of this weighing on my family and I since my daughter Sophia was born in May of 2019, I knew I would one day need to make a very difficult decision.
It is with a very, very heavy heart to inform you all that I will not be returning to the Birdville Mighty Hawk Band cluster for the 2021-2022 school year. Please understand that this decision has not come lightly and I have prayed for countless hours for guidance. The last six years has been some of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences of my life. Seeing our students grow and watching first hand the success of this band program will be one that I will cherish forever.
I know the future of the Mighty Hawk Band is so incredibly bright and I genuinely can't wait to continue to see our band program soar. I hope for nothing but the best for all of our students and will do whatever I can to support you from a different vantage point. I am confident the years ahead are primed to be nothing short of excellent and the best is yet to come.
As for the next chapter in my life, I have accepted a new role as the virtual music teacher for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD's iUnversity Prep Virtual Academy. I will be able to work remotely from home teaching music to students grades 5 through 12. This will be a new experience for me as all of the music classes are considered general music courses (music history, music theory, music culture, etc.) and not ensemble music performance based.
As I reflect on the times we have shared together, I cannot help but smile and remember all of the incredible memories. I wish you all the best next season and can't wait to see the Mighty Hawk Band take the field in 2021 and years to come!
All the best,
James Figueredo
Director of Percussion
Birdville High School
Birdville ISD