The West High Jazz Ensemble performed at the Iowa Jazz Championships on April 4. For bands to qualify for this competition, they had to be top two in their district, place higher than other qualifying bands at other festivals, or be selected as a wildcard by the Iowa Jazz Championships Board of Directors. Winning first at SEIBA, the Jazz Ensemble secured their place at the championships. This was the first Iowa Jazz Championships that the West High Jazz Ensemble competed in under the direction of Ryan Middleton. 

Awards were presented at 5:30 p.m. Seniors JD Deninger and Damien Kim earned outstanding soloist awards for West High, and the Jazz Ensemble’s 12:15 p.m. performance earned them 7th place overall in the 4A category. 

Because of the tornado advisory, both City High and West High’s departures from the championships were delayed as the ICCSD instructed them not to travel between 4 and 10 p.m. West High arrived back home at 12:15 a.m.