This past weekend, the HHS Jazz Band was crowned the 3A Division Champion at the 2026 Clark College Jazz Festival. Why is that such a remarkable achievement? To answer that question, let's look at Washington's high school classification model. In an effort to create an equitable system for competition, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), the organization that oversees athletics and activities in our state, designed its classification tiers around enrollment - in particular, Grade 9-11 enrollment.
Classification / Grade 9-11 / Enrollment # of Schools
3A
900-1200
73
2A
450-899
63
1A
225-449
55
Clark College Band Classifications
Meanwhile, Clark College uses a different enrollment model for its music competitions. Instead of using student numbers in Grades 9-11, they use students in Grades 10-12 and separate them into four divisions:
AAAA: 1,201 students & above, AAA: 1,200-1,001; AA: 1,000-526; and A: 525 students & below.
Based on the enrollments of the 63 high schools in WIAA's 2A Classification, Hockinson High School, with 486 students in Grades 9-11, is the second smallest in the state or, to put it another way, HHS is just one school away from the 1A classification. Based on the Clark College model, HHS's 483 students in Grades 10-12 would put Hockinson in their single A classification.
With that context in mind, here is the summary of "HHS's Big Win by a Small School" at the Clark College Jazz Festival from HHS Band Director Corey McEnry:
After winning the 2A division more than a dozen times over the years, we made the decision last year to move up two full divisions and enter 3A to see if these students were ready to take on a bigger challenge. Last year they came up short of finals, but instead of backing down or retreating back to 2A, the group rallied, worked incredibly hard, and made it a goal to prove they belonged at that level.
Friday night, that work paid off in the best possible way. Not only did they make finals, they walked away with first place in 3A and earned several individual and section awards along the way:
Outstanding Soloists (recognized by the judges as performing at the highest level)
Oliver Armstrong – Tenor Saxophone
Sarah Boehi – Alto Saxophone
Outstanding Sections (awarded to the best section of the division)
Rhythm Section – Logan Armstrong, Jameson Fyfe, Adriana Kluth, Dean Lanier, Brenden Weber
Saxophone Section – Oliver Armstrong, Kim Asplund, Sarah Boehi, Grant Hebert, Elizabet Olmedo Lopez
I’m incredibly proud of how these students represented Hockinson, as well as how the Hockinson community came out in support [of the band program]. The number of Hockinson supporters who showed up to cheer them on speaks volumes about the kind of community we have.