Artist of the Month for October Named
Barb Dawson • October 24, 2023

Congratulations to Kassandra Gutierrez!

Montini Catholic senior Kassandra Gutierrez (Westchester) has been named Bronco Artist of the Month for October. She was nominated for the honor by Music Director, Mr. Donnie Glowinski.


"Kass is a four year member of the band (tenor saxophone) and is currently serving as the President of our Tri-M Music Honor Society," said Glowinski.  "She is talented, dedicated, hard working and committed to the continued development of Montini's music program!  She truly deserves this honor."


Kassandra credits her music teacher at St. Francis of Xavier School for influencing her interest in music at a young age. "It was my most enjoyable class. So when I became a 4th grader I joined band. I like having a break from studying so that’s why I chose to do band in high school."


Kassandra and her bandmates are enjoying the success of their first concert of the year - Montini's Fall Concert (October 17th).  Although a bit nervous to perform in front of an audience at first, she has since learned to enjoy it. "Performing on stage isn’t too bad, my sophomore year was my first year performing in the auditorium, but since the lights shine so bright I couldn’t see the audience as much. Now I think it’s fun to perform the songs with friends, and show off our hard work."

Kassandra's respect for Mr. Glowinski as a teacher is very apparent. He has truly nurtured her enthusiasm for music. "Mr.Glowinski is my favorite teacher. He is very understanding of everything anyone does. He’s super helpful in the classroom. He’ll take time to work with me if I have trouble playing a piece. Band class is super fun and I always look forward to it every day. Mr. Glowinski is very easy to communicate with, which makes Tri-M meetings and events way easier to organize because we work as a team."


In addition to her passion for music, Kassandra is an ace in the classroom. She is a member of Montini's National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. She is also a member of Student Government and lends a hand spiritually as a Peer Minister. Athletically, she is a member of Montini's Varsity Softball Team.  She hopes to continue her involvement in music in college, with intentions of getting involved in music appreciation. 

As this year's President of Montini's Tri-M Music Honor Society, Kassandra is responsible for working with Mr. Glowinski in organizing various music events. "Our entire board (Vice President, treasurer, secretary) works together to help run our Tri-M meetings. I love the chance to meet a great number of new members and make new relationships with them." Kassandra is grateful for this leadership role. "Being President of an honor club will help me develop leadership skills. I enjoy having a voice and will have a voice in the future when participating in other events." 


"I’m very excited to get this award and I appreciate my dedicated time to music being noticed," said Kassandra, who has been playing tenor saxophone for eight years, since she was in the 4th grade. "I’m glad Mr.Glowinski thought of me when it came to this." 


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