Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Foothill High band director wins public education award

Foothills Marching Band in Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Mona Shield Payne

NBC Executive Producer Amy Kule and Macy’s Creative Manager Wesley Whatley present Director of Bands Travis Pardee, right, with a drum head in honor of his band being chosen to march in the 2014 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade during class at Foothills High School Friday, April 12, 2013.

A popular Foothill High School band director has earned $3,000 for his school after being awarded a local accolade for excellence in teaching.

Travis Pardee, a teacher at Foothill since 2002, was given the Myra Greenspun Teacher Excellence award by the Public Education Foundation on Tuesday.

Since becoming the school's band director, Pardee has led the Foothill music program to national recognition and has almost tripled its number of students. Under his tutelage, the school's music groups have participated in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Country Music Awards and at Carnegie Hall, among other high-profile venues.

The award comes with $3,000 to spend on his school, a $1,000 honorarium and 500 points to spend at the Foundation's Teacher Exchange, a warehouse of donated school supplies.​

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