CUMMING — Part of a high school band recently earned top honors at a regional competition, marking the first time in more than six years the group has returned with a medal from the event.

Forsyth Central High School’s winter guard won first place at the Southern Association of Performance Arts Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn., at the beginning of April after competing against 18 groups from across the Southeast.

“It’s kind of a big deal for these kids. It was a really big moment for them,” said Dan Grass, assistant band director at the school on Tribble Gap Road.

Central’s winter guard consists of 10 girls in ninth-12thgrades who performed their seven-minute show under the direction of Cyndi Church and Aleyna Brondo for a crowd topping 2,000. The competition was held in the McKenzie Arena at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Their performance was categorized in class Scholastic Regional A, where their score of 89.54 beat out other schools such as Commerce, Buford, Sprayberry and Centennial high schools.

Judges analyzed aspects from the performance such as equipment, movement, design, timing and general effect.

“It’s a competitive ensemble that uses dance and movement and choreography set to a soundtrack, and they perform a show they take to competitions throughout Atlanta metro,” Grass said. “The culmination is this championship event.”