By Nicole Burns for the FCT

It’s the first year in Franklin County for Phil Campbell High School’s new band director, Drew Bailey, and he’s trying to bring some new ideas to the table to benefit students and the school. “I’m really growing to love it,” said Bailey. “I am happy to be at Phil Campbell. I’m adjusting. I’m a city boy at heart. I grew up in Birmingham. I’ve lived in a city all my life. The pace of life is slower here and I like that a lot.”

Bailey said he hopes his experience in other major cities across the state, such as Birmingham and Huntsville, will benefit the area. The PCHS band program will launch a first for the town this coming weekend with a mattress fundraiser sale. “I wanted to do something that wasn’t selling brownies or wallpaper or wrapping paper,” said Bailey. “Other area bands, especially in the Lexington, and Lauderdale County area had done this type of sale very successfully because it is different. It helps you stand out. This has the potential to get all of the money we need at one time instead of doing multiple little fundraisers or the whole year.”

The PCHS band will be in the high school’s gym on Saturday, March 12^th from 10am – 5pm and on Sunday, March 13^th from 1pm – 6pm. Customers who stop by and check out the name-brand mattresses receive a free Serta pillow. In addition to the steep discounts offered during the mattress sale, the band has posted flyers with coupons for additional savings on their Facebook page.

Bailey said he hopes the money generated from this unique fundraising idea will generate the money the program needs to continue doing what they need to do. “We need a lot of money to go for private lessons for my students, uniform maintenance, and instrument repair. We have a lot of nice instruments, but when you trust them into the hands of 14-18 year olds, they kind of get dents and they need a lot of tender loving care,” said Bailey.

Whether the sale is smash or not, Bailey said he has enjoyed year one at Phil Campbell High School. “I must say that I have been really pleased with the student’s effort and their behavior,” said Bailey. “I have never seen a group of kids act with such maturity that they do. That says a lot about the students and the community.”