June 2008 Archives | Blog Home

In October of last year, Ellen interviewed the amazing director of the Ballou High School Marching Band, Darrell Watson. Thanks to Darrell's inspiration, students of this inner city school in Southeast Washington, DC have been given opportunities they might otherwise not have received. It's a rare story of triumph over adversity.

So many exciting things have happened for the Ballou Marching Band since they were last on our show -- we wanted to take a moment to catch you up on all of their amazing adventures!

They have appeared on numerous local radio and TV stations. A Hollywood film based on the life story of Darrell Watson is currently in development. In 2007, “ABC World News with Charlie Gibson” selected Mr. Watson and Majestic Marching Knights to be Persons of the Week. Then they were chosen as their Persons of the Year for 2007!

At the Asymmetrix National High Stepping Marching Band Championship in Greensboro, NC, the band won more awards than ever before, including:

2nd Place in Division II, but won Flags, Dance and Percussion
1st Place in the overall Flag Division 2 years in a row
1st Place in the overall Dance Division
1st Place in the overall Percussion Division

So many incredible things have been happening for them in the DC area, too! In December 2007, the DC City Council presented the band with a ceremonial resolution for their “dedication and sacrifice.” They participated in DC’s 2008 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. The WNBA’s Washington Mystics chose Ballou as their official home game Pep Band! The Mayor of Washington, DC proclaimed June 13, 2008 as Ballou High School Majestic Marching Knights Day. And to top it all off, Ballou has been chosen to represent Washington, DC at the prestigious 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade and the 2009 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

The students themselves have had some remarkable achievements as well! Of 27 seniors who were in the band, 24 of them graduated on June 8th -- including one student who graduated 7th in his class! The other three students are expected to graduate after summer school, and 17 graduating seniors will be attending college this fall! In addition, 9 band members received the Achievers Scholarship Award. The District of Columbia Achievers Program is a partnership of the District of Columbia College Success Foundation (DCCSF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The program provides annual scholarships, mentoring support and high-intensity college access services to approximately 250 highly motivated, low income students from six public high schools in Washington, DC.

In February, we introduced you to a couple who reconnected in an extraordinary way. Amy Belastock and Dan Poehling originally met on a flight in June 2007 while waiting in line for the bathroom. They instantly connected and talked for 40 minutes, but Dan never asked for her number. Realizing what a huge mistake he made, Dan’s friends encouraged him to post on the Craigslist “Missed Connections” section. Amy found his post the next day and they reunited! Have you been wondering what happened next?!

The publicity didn’t stop after our show -- Amy and Dan also appeared in the Boston Globe. Amy is still in Boston, but she’s moving to Chicago in two weeks, where they will be living together (for the first time) in a condo they recently purchased! Amy will soon be the principal at a Chicago elementary school. Their friends and family affectionately call them the “Craigslist Couple,” and they will be getting married next month!

Congratulations Amy and Dan! Don’t forget to send us an invitation!

Since Mayor Cornett visited Ellen in January to talk about putting Oklahoma City on a diet, the residents of OKC have continued to lose weight at an impressive pace. As of June 10, the 18,500 people who signed up at www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com lost over 85,000 pounds! And thanks to the national publicity, other cities around the country are working with Mayor Cornett to launch similar initiatives.

Taco Bell then launched a local promotion in Oklahoma City linked with its national Fresco menu of healthier choices. Recognizing that citizens of Oklahoma City were not going to quit fast food cold turkey, Mayor Cornett is encouraging them to make healthier choices. In every Taco Bell in Oklahoma City, a life-sized Mayor Cornett cutout encourages customers to order from the Fresco menu, and invites them to sign up at a web site to help OKC lose one million pounds.

Plus, locally-owned restaurants are getting on board, with OKC's entire Bricktown entertainment district offering the "Mayor's Special," (www.bricktownokc.org) and upscale restaurant Rococo offering a full “Mayor's Healthy Menu.” (www.rococo-restaurant.com) Mayor Cornett will be talking about these successes at the Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami on June 22.

Nine-year-old Anthony Gargiula spent his Saturday afternoon performing not one, but two songs at the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York. This was by far his biggest crowd to date, with nearly 100,000 people watching from the stands and on the field. This was definitely a summer highlight for Anthony, but there’s more on the way! Anthony will sing the National Anthem this August at a pre-season match-up between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins. He's also looking forward to reconnecting with some of his Idol friends as well -- when he attends an "American Idol" concert this summer.