The Allen High School Tallenettes Drill Team is part of the largest high school marching band in the country. The drill team has 67 members that must participate in tryouts to make the team. All grades (9th-12th) in high school are eligible to be on the team. Football season is just part of our very busy (almost year round) schedule. After football is over, numerous competitions keep the team busy until our Spring Showcase. The summer is time to learn technical skills that will be used throughout the school year.

For more information about the Tallenettes, please contact the director:

Lisa Smentek at Lisa_Smentek@allenisd.org



History

The Beginning* For a number of years the Allen Eagle Marching Band attended the Cotton Bowl "Parade of Champions" that was held yearly at the State Fair of Texas. Allen was a 3A school at that time, so the Band was very small. In the mid 70's a larger group comprising the Band and The Allen Eagle Tallenettes performed together at parades and other events. Parents and community members who saw this larger group were so impressed with the idea the result that they lobbied the band director at that time, Charles Barton, and the School Board to get approval to combine these groups into one performing entity at AHS. The combined Band and Drill Team performed for some time before adopting the name Escadrille, which is a French word meaning "squadron." The Escadrille now consists of three individual groups working in harmony together to produce some of the greatest entertainment in North Texas: The AHS Eagle Marching Band, the AHS Tallenette Drill Team, and the AHS Color Guard.

*http://allenescadrille.org/history/history.htm