JAY SUTTON, PGISD BAND DIRECTOR
Pleasant Grove Independent School District welcomes Jay Sutton as the new director of bands. Sutton has ten years of teaching experience. As the assistant band director, Sutton began his career ten years ago in Texarkana Independent School District. Sutton has been the director of bands and fine arts department chair at Redwater High School for the past seven years. The Redwater High School Band earned multiple UIL Sweepstakes Awards under Sutton’s direction, including two-time UIL State Marching Band Championship finalists in 2019 and 2021. Sutton is a native of Texarkana and a graduate of Pleasant Grove High School. He was a Pleasant Grove High School Pride in Motion Band member. Sutton earned a Music Education Degree at Henderson State University. Sutton is married to his wife, Kim, and they have two little boys, Reid and Ben. Kim is a family nurse practitioner, a Pleasant Grove High School graduate, and a former Pleasant Grove High School Pride in Motion Band member. “I am extremely excited to be back home in Hawk Nation,” Sutton said. “There is no denying the incredibly high-achieving programs that Pleasant Grove ISD already provides. I am ready to push the band program to the levels of so many other things in this district. It is sort of a surreal experience to be back inside these walls that helped me develop my love for music and band, and I can not wait to get started in my new role here.” Sutton has high hopes this year and goals for the Pleasant Grove High School Pride in Motion Band to be seen as “one of the best in the state. “We have a lot of work to do,” Sutton said, “but I know with all of the support from our administration, faculty, staff, and community, we can definitely achieve that goal.”
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TEXARKANA MAGAZINE | FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 2022
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