Lloyd V. Berkner High School - Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular Activities

Berkner's mascot is the Ram and the team shares Ram-Wildcat Stadium(capacity 11,000) with Lake Highlands High School. The athletics program has improved in recent years, as in 2005 BHS had the best football season in school history, finishing 12–1 after a loss to A&M Consolidated High School in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A division. In the spring of 2006 the boys' basketball team made the state semifinals for the first time in school history.

Berkner prides itself on its fine arts programs. The marching band has received 43 consecutive first Division ratings in University Interscholastic League marching contests. The Orchestra Program has won the TMEA Honor String Orchestra award in 1987 under Ruth Kurtis – and most recently winning the same award in 2007 under Craig Needham. The theatre program provides one of the area's only technical theatre programs. The school's student newspaper is the Berkner Rampage. The inter-school radio and television station is KRAM-FM and KRAM-TV Channel 6.

The "Mighty Ram Band" has approximately 360 students in its program. In the 2005–2006 season, the competition marching band (250 members by audition) won 2nd place at both the Plano Marching Invitational and the Sam Houston State University Marching Festival. Their performance that year featured the music of Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In the spring semester, the band splits into five bands; Symphonic Band I, Symphonic Band II, Symphonic Band III, Concert Band I, and Concert Band II. Other classes offered during the school day include a Music Theory Course, a Jazz Ensemble, a Percussion Ensemble, a Varsity and a Junior-Varsity Drum Line, and two sections of Color Guard / Winter Guard. The band was honored by the John Philip Sousa Foundation with the Sudler Flag of Honor in 1984 and 2004 to recognize its high standards of excellence in its concert activities over several years. The Berkner Band has been invited to perform at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, been named the Honor Band for the state of Texas, and has consistently advanced to the State Marching Band Competition for many years.

The school is also notable for hosting an annual battle of the bands held in the auditorium. It is one of the larger BOBs held in the area and features mostly rock and punk bands. There is the occasional appearance by rap and hip hop groups. Despite the requirement of having a band member be a Berkner High student to compete, bands from across the metroplex have performed. One notable guest band includes Bowling for Soup. The event is held typically in April or May. The event is sponsored by Peer Helpers and the Berkner Exchange Club. Since 2005, the 'house' band has been 'Old Skool', Berkner's own all-faculty cover band. Old Skool performs at the conclusion of the competition while the judges are tabulating the scores.

The Berkner High School Academic Decathlon team has advanced to the Texas State Academic Decathlon competition every year since 2003–2004.

The Berkner High School drill team, known as the Bandoleras, have performed with excellence over the past several decades. They have won major competitions at a national level, including the Starmakers series of drill team events. Their Spring Shows consistently sell out the BHS auditorium and are a regular draw on the Richardson arts scene. In addition to the Bandoleras, the hand picked Comedy Troop draws many to the Show because of its humorous skits.

Berkner tennis team members won third place in district competition in 2007–2008. The team itself has consistently produced tennis players with Super-Champion rankings in the TTCA.