During the school’s annual high school music concert Tuesday night, Pilot Grove School Board President Phyllis Streit announced the retirement of high school student Nate Schuster’s band uniform.

Schuster, a senior at Pilot Grove High School, has been playing the alto saxophone since elementary school and throughout his high school career and has accomplished what many musicians at his age strive for including a long list of solo I ratings at numerous music competitions, high trio ratings, playing at state competition all four years of high school and earning second chair on the Missouri All-State Band his junior and senior years.

Streit, who spearheaded the idea, took the suggestion to the Board of Education who agreed Schuster should not graduate without serious recognition of his hard work.
Superintendent Mark Pottorff said this was a first for the school as athletes have had jerseys retired in their honor but “never anything for arts or academics. Maybe we’ll start a trend.”

To read the rest of the story, see BDN's May 7 print edition.