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Students, boosters urge Radford school board to hire former band director Daniel Frankenberger
Summary
Multiple Radford High students, a booster club leader and parents told the school board they want Daniel B. Frankenberger considered for the high school band director position, describing his mentorship, program continuity and positive impact on students.
Radford High students and community boosters urged the Radford City School Board during public comment to consider Daniel B. Frankenberger for the high school band director position, saying his return would restore continuity and mentorship to the band program.
"He changed the way I view music, how I view the world," said Ben Harvey, a senior at Radford High School, describing Frankenberger's influence on his five years in band. Harvey and several classmates credited Frankenberger with building students' musicianship and personal confidence.
Zachary Gray, another senior, told the board he plans to study music education and called Frankenberger "the only person" acceptable for the job, saying the recent transition to a new director left students feeling they did not grow musically this year.
Macy Sadler, a junior, asked the board to "consider Mr. Frankenberger for the position of the band director," saying a leader who already knows the students would make the change "seamless." Kenneth Stevens, a long-time boosters leader, backed the students, calling Frankenberger "Radford Bands" and urging trustees to bring him back.
Speakers recounted concrete examples of Frankenberger's teaching: building music-theory lessons that prepared students for college-level work, maintaining long-standing program traditions at football games and competitions, and fostering relationships with parents and boosters.
Board members did not take public comment replies from staff or make a hiring announcement at the meeting. The public comment period closed when the board moved to its next agenda item.
Next steps: the board later convened a closed session for personnel matters and, after returning to open session, approved a personnel item listed as "personnel 1.0 as amended." The public record at the meeting does not specify whether any hire related to the band director was finalized or which personnel were included in that motion.
