Fresh off yet another record-breaking display, the Northern Lehigh High School Marching Band continues to raise the bar to even greater heights.

Earlier this month, the band notched its first Top 10 performance ever at the Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championship held at Hershey Park Stadium.In the process, the band set a new school record for both placement, and all-time high score of 91.45, which marked the first time the band has even finished in the Top 10 at the Atlantic Coast Championships.What's more, the band finished ahead of every one of its counterparts they faced in competition throughout the entire fall season, achievements that band director David Carroll said eclipsed the previous records the band set just last year.Led by Drum Major Logan Thomson, President John Hudicka, officers Kristy Pfrom, Maggie Surdovel, Tiffany Hamm, and Calli Zaleski, and field conductor Heather Heiney, Carroll said the student leadership was again "outstanding" this year."I have always been very pleased with the work ethic of our members, and this year was no exception," Carroll said. "My philosophy of success has always been attitude, organization, motivation, preparation, and concentration."Carroll said he couldn't be more pleased with the band's commitment and attention to detail."With a relatively young membership, we emphasized concentration skills a great deal this fall, and I believe it helped our program," he said. "I am again very proud of all of our students."Carroll was quick to recognize all those who support the program, a factor he said played a vital role in the band's success."I am very thankful for all of the support our program receives from our parent organization, the school district, and the community," he said. "The Northern Lehigh Band Boosters does a tremendous job every year of creating an environment that nurtures the success of our students."This was the school's 11th trip to the ACC as a Finalist, Carroll said. The band also won special awards this season for Best Music, Best Visual Program, and Best Color Guard, he said.The band qualified for the ACC at the Chapter 2 Championship held Oct. 24 at Blue Mountain High School, and advanced to Hershey from the Chapter level seeded 9th in Group 1 with a score of 89.4, Carroll said.At that event, the band outscored over 100 other high school bands that competed at the chapter level that weekend from throughout the Tournament of Bands, which represents seven states, he said.The Tournament of Bands encompasses member bands from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Virginia, the seven states that are divided into regional subdivisions called Chapters.Chapter 2 is the greater Lehigh Valley region, that extends west to Reading and North into the Poconos. Each team competes against bands of the same approximate size. The school's student population is not a factor in determining a band's Group size.For more information on the Tournament of Bands, contact

www.njatob.org.