Battle of the Bands: LRSD's Second Interscholastic Dance

Article written by Jasmine Santos, Willow Creek Composite High School student and Communications Officer of Livingstone Leaders

On May 9, 2025, students from across the Livingstone Range School Division (LRSD) gathered together for the second division-wide dance in LRSD’s history: the Battle of the Bands!
Livingstone Leaders, a group of dedicated student leaders from the division, worked hard at planning this event since their very first meeting in October. The dance was held at Willow Creek Composite High School (WCCHS) in Claresholm and ran from 7 to 10 pm. Battle of the Bands had it all: live student bands, a professional DJ, energetic dance-offs, a food truck right outside the gym, a mirror photobooth, exciting prizes, and of course, the cheer and school spirit of all who attended!

Similar to last year’s SnowBall, LRSD’s first interscholastic dance, Battle of the Bands was open to students in grades 9–12 with a limited number of tickets. Each ticket cost $10, which covered transportation and almost all activities at the dance. This year’s dance continued the goal of bringing different schools together through an exciting event filled with opportunities to make new friends.

Livingstone Leaders transformed WCCHS’ gym into a retro-themed party! With streamers, balloons, and colorful decorations accompanied by retro outfits, the scene was straight out of a movie. Two stages were set: one for the student bands and another for the DJ, encouraging students to jam to fantastic music and show off their dance moves. A complete mirror photo booth was also provided by the DJ, giving students something extra special to hold onto after the dance. Prizes were abundant and tasty snacks were given from generous sponsors from each community. A huge thank you goes out to all the sponsors for contributing to the success of this event!

Battle of the Bands incorporated community like no other. One of its key features was having live student bands “battle,” which is the very inspiration behind the event’s name. These talented bands signed up and prepared awesome covers and original songs for students to dance and cheer to. Reaching out to the community for judges, three remarkable individuals gave their attention to the youth. The panel included Megan McClung from the Town of Claresholm; Chad Kuzyk, LRSD Associate Superintendent; and Lori Hodges, Chair of the LRSD Board of Trustees.

Another highlight was a food truck and outdoor activities right outside the gym for students to enjoy the fresh air. Since the early meeting of Livingstone Leaders, they knew they wanted something festive—retro and a food truck just made sense. Another huge thank you goes out to Mama Lo’s Food Truck for serving delicious food to students and other community members the entire night!

Meya Radvak, this year’s President of Livingstone Leaders from Matthew Halton High School, said, “I would describe my experience working on and celebrating Battle of the Bands as very exciting, mainly from seeing the event develop as we worked very hard on it and watching many people, including myself, enjoy Battle of the Bands. It was very fun to meet new people, make new friends and hear the music of the talented bands we have in our community.”

The Battle of the Bands was nothing short of unforgettable. Thank you to Alysa Fisher (Lead Advisor) and the Livingstone Leaders for their perseverance, to all teacher advisors and school staff for their unwavering support, and to the community for being so kind and encouraging!
LRSD’s student-driven division-wide dance showcases that no matter the differences or the distance, teamwork is still possible—and the best moments are made through retro vibes and the chance to groove.

Find more from Battle of the Bands on the Livingstone Leaders Instagram and Facebook pages.

Visit the Livingstone Leaders web page for more information about our student leadership group.