We are happy to announce the instructional staff for the color guard track of Stars Academy – our virtual educational program for summer 2021! The color guard instructional staff will continue to be led by Meredith Owen, a five-year Louisiana Stars staff member and caption head. Owen and her team has worked diligently to provide an effective and rewarding educational experience for young performers. She is joined by an all-returning staff of experienced educators.

 

Meredith Owen

Caption Head

 

Meredith Owen’s colorguard career began in 2009 at Ridgeland High School (Ridgeland, MS). After graduating in 2013, Meredith was a member of the Famous Maroon Band Colorguard and Statement Winterguard at Mississippi State University. She then went on to perform with the Mississippi Lion’s All-State Band (2012-2013), The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps (2015-2016), and Conversion Winterguard (2015-2018, 2020). While marching, Meredith served as captain for the Mississippi Lion’s All State Band Colorguard in 2013 and Conversion Winterguard in 2016-2018 and 2020.

Meredith’s teaching career began at her alma mater, Ridgeland High School. During this time, she was able to establish the successful winterguard program in 2014. Taking everything she learned here, Meredith continued to hone her skills and passion for education during her time with the Petal High School Band (Petal, MS). From 2015-2020, Meredith served as the Director of the 6A Medalist Colorguard and WGI Regional Finalist Petal Visual Ensemble, choreographer for the 6A State Championship Marching Band, and choreographer and visual technician for the WGI Scholastic World Finalist, Petal Indoor Percussion Theatre. Meredith joined Louisiana Stars staff in 2017, stepping into the role of Caption Head in 2019.

Meredith is a recent graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and resides in Fulshear, TX. She currently serves a technician and choreographer for Klein Oak High School in addition to being an English teacher and colorguard director at Jordan High School, where she was recently named Rookie Teacher of the Year.

 

Clayton Benoit

Assistant Caption Head

 

After beginning his performing career at E. D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux, Louisiana, Clayton then continued performing with The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Lake Area Independent Winterguard. Clayton’s teaching career started in 2008 and has included working and choreographing for schools and programs such as E.D.White Catholic High School, Acadiana High School, Acadiana Independent Winterguard, Ouachita High School, West Ouachita High School, Lafayette High School, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, West Monroe High School, Erath High School, Sterlington High School, Elite Percussion, Jordan High School, and Lake Area Independent. Under his direction, Clayton’s various groups have been given titles such as WGI Regional and Power Regional finalists, LMCGPC medalists, BOA Grand National Finalists, and DCI Open Class finalist. Currently living in Lafayette, Louisiana, Clayton is on his sixth year serving as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the LMCGPC, a freelance judge and choreographer, instructor at Lafayette High School, as well as the Visual Director for the Acadiana High School Band and Acadiana Independent Winterguard. This is Clayton’s third year at Stars and his second year as Assistant Caption Head. He’s excited to see what 2021 has in store!

 

Emily Lyon

Color Guard Instructor

 

Emily started her color guard career in Waxhaw, NC where she was a part of the Marvin Ridge High School color guard and winter guard from 2010-2014. After she graduated, went on to spin with Aria Winterguard  in 2015 and Etude Winterguard in 2016 and 2019. Along with winter guard, Emily also spent four summers with The Cadets Drum Corps from the summer of 2015 to her age out season of 2018. Emily was given the opportunity to teach in 2015 at Concord High School in Concord, NC, where she was a winter guard technician. She also taught at Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington, NC where she was the color guard caption head in 2017. This will be Emily’s third summer with Louisiana Stars and she is excited for the upcoming season.

 

Jace McMullin

Color Guard Instructor

 

Jace McMullin is a graduate of Mississippi State University where he received his Bachelors in Music Education in 2011, and the University of Southern Mississippi where he received Masters in Music Education in 2015. In 2011 Jace became Assistant Band Director and Color Guard Instructor at Warren Central High School in Vicksburg, Mississippi where his guards have consistently earned superiors at contest and during the 2017 season his guard earned two best in class awards. He became the Director of Bands at Warren Central in 2019 where he oversees the entire band program and is still very active with the color guard and winter guard program at Warren Central.

Since coming to Warren Central High School, Jace has taken winter guards to compete in many different circuits including the Mississippi Indoor Association, Louisiana Mississippi Color Guard and Percussion Circuit, and Winter Guard International. In the past 6 years his guards have finished in the top three multiple times at different WGI regionals, and have been medalists in the Mississippi Indoor Association. Under his direction his winter guard programs have had many top 3 finishes. Most recently the Warren Central Junior Varsity Winter Guard were gold medalists in the Mississippi Indoor Association in 2019.

During the summer of 2017 Jace served as the color guard instructor for the Mississippi All State Lions Band. The group traveled to Chicago, Illinois and won its thirty-third international championship during the 2017 International Lions Parade.

Jace’s performance experience and love for the color guard started with Statement Independent Winter Guard in 2009 where he was a part of the first place Independent A Class group. He also marched his age out year in 2010 with Statement where they went on to be the Independent Open class Champions. He was most recently a performing member of Conversion, an Independent World group based out of Jackson, MS, in 2020.

Jace currently lives in Clinton, Mississippi and is on track to complete his Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction through Texas A&M University in August, 2021. Jace joined the Louisiana Stars staff in 2018 and is looking forward to another awesome season.

 

Tatiana Miranda

Color Guard Instructor

 

Tatiana is from Houston,Tx. She started her colorguard career in 2009 in Cypress,Tx at Cy-Fair High school. 4 years of marching band and 3 years of winter guard. Cy-Fair was a state band in 2012 and the colorguard was an open class guard in her last season with them in 2011. She continued her career into teaching several schools in the Greater Houston area all the way from 2013-2019. She marched 2 years of professional winter guard and 2 years of drum corps aging out with the Louisiana Stars in 2017.

Currently Tatiana is not teaching anywhere because she is focused on her career in Radiology. She is a Junior clinical student at Pima Medical in Houston,TX This will be her second summer with the stars and she looks forward to what the future holds! 

 

PJ Trichel

Color Guard Instructor

 

PJ is from Bossier City, LA. He holds a Child and Family Studies degree from Northwestern State University, where he is also a four year veteran of the Demon Heat Colorguard and served as a section leader in 2019 and 2020. During this time, PJ also marched with Louisiana Stars (2015-2016) and the Madison Scouts (2017). 

Educationally, PJ has served as the director of the Bossier High School Colorguard (2015) and the NTCA Scholastic A Gold Medalist Haughton High School Colorguard (2018-2020).

PJ is currently the assistant colorguard director at Jordan High School in addition to working as a substitute teacher in Katy ISD. This will be PJ’s fourth year with Stars and he is so excited to see what the season holds!