At the Frenship Middle School Band’s Spring Concert on Monday, May 16th, Darla Casteel presented two students with a full scholarship to the Texas Tech University Band and Orchestra Camp. This scholarship fund was created in the memory of her daughter and the previous FMS Band’s Assistant Director, Robyn Judd.

Casteel has worked tirelessly over the last year to organize this scholarship as a way to honor Ms. Judd’s legacy of educating students and achieving a high musical standard. 

The application process for the students included an essay with a very simple prompt, “What does music mean to you? What kind of impact has music made on you?” There were many scholarship essay submissions, all of which were sent to Casteel for her to review.  

After looking through all the applications, she chose two applicants to receive the scholarship. The recipients that were chosen are Kaleb Garcia, a 7th grade trumpet player, and Jake Tubbs, an 8th grade percussionist.  

“The FMS Band is so thankful for Mrs. Casteel’s dedication to honoring Ms. Judd’s memory through the scholarship and bringing this avenue for musical growth to our students,” said Kyle Billett, Band Director at Frenship Middle School. “It was a beautiful sight to see Mrs. Casteel’s hard work come to fruition when she presented the scholarship awards at the concert.” 

The scholarship fund is still open for donations. There is a GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/robyns-memorial-scholarship), and any inquiries can be made directly to First Security State Bank in Cranfills Gap, TX ((254) 597-2286). Donations directly to the bank can be made out to “The Robyn Judd Memorial Scholarship”.