VENTURA : Pageantry Unit Graceful in Victory

When Stacy Hunter began at Ventura High School last fall, one extracurricular activity at the school immediately caught her eye: the Pageantry Corps.

A combination drill team and flag-and-rifle unit, the corps performs with the school band during football games. But it has won its highest acclaim for its performances in regional competitions off the football field.

For the second year in a row, the 14 girls in the corps captured first place at the Pep, Pageantry and Arts Assn. of Central California contest held a few weeks ago in Bakersfield. And school officials said the corps is well known throughout the region.

As a flag girl, Stacy twists and twirls the tall, brightly colored flags in the group’s choreographed routines. One of the best parts of being in the group, she said, is the recognition she has received from fellow students.

“I like people coming up and saying, ‘How do you do that?’ ” she said. “It kind of makes me feel special. It makes me feel I have a special talent.”

But it’s not all talent.

The group practices their routine at least three hours every week. And they also work to raise money to pay for their uniforms, transportation and other costs that total about $500 per girl each year.

Band Director Robert Hackett said he believes the pageantry corps’s dedication shows through.

“The amount of work these kids put into the program to perform and succeed is phenomenal,” Hackett said. “It’s just a high-spirited group.”

And at a recent school assembly, the group’s performance earned them a standing ovation from hundreds of their classmates. “They don’t realize what kind of work goes into it,” Hackett said of the other students. “But they sure do appreciate the final product.”