Bayonne High School Band

Serge Puchinsky has been the Bayonne High School band director since 1994. Serge first worked as the music teacher for Midtown Community School in 1992. Then, in 1994 he moved to the High School. He is a graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University and has worked for various bands across New Jersey as an arranger and instructor, but now focuses his time and energy on the Bayonne High School Band. In College Serge studied trumpet under Proffessor William Fielder and also studied composition with Noel DaCosta, Nicholas Roussakis, and Charles Wuorinen. In 1994 Serge married his wife, Gina and they now have a son Robert who was born in 1996.

Dana Smerda-Mason has lived in Bayonne her entire life. She graduated Bayonne High School in 2002, and continued on to pursue a degree in Clarinet Performance and Chamber Music at New York University. She is currently working on completing her master’s degree in teaching at New Jersey City University. In 2006, Dana began teaching at Bayonne High School as the Assistant Band Director, and she truly enjoys every minute of it. This year she has the pleasure of working with the talented students of Midtown Community School where she also works as the instrumental music teacher. In addition, she enjoys teaching privately, and working with her theory and ear-training students. In the past, Dana has performed with the Alan Quinn Orchestra, the Hudson County Intergenerational Community Band, and in various musical productions as a musician with the Drama Department at Bayonne High School, and other local theater companies.

Michael Fumento - coming soon!

Lisa Stachniewicz has been involved in colorguard since the early 1970's when she joined the St. Andrew's Kidets in Bayonne, New Jersey. She began her colorguard experience on weapon as a member of the Kidets colorguard on both saber and rifle and then continued her colorguard experience in 1981 when she graduated into the Bayonne Bridgemen. In the Bridgemen, Lisa enhanced her colorguard skills and added movement/dance and flag to her skill base. She was truly blessed with all of the instructors that taught her the important and valuable fundamentals of colorguard who are now considered legends in the WGI world, such as Scott Chandler, Mickey Kelly and Jeff Namian to name a few when Lisa was a member of the national champions Connecticutt Skylarks indoor colorguard in 1983.

Lisa owes a debt of gratitude to her very first colorguard instructor, Roseann Waseilewski who taught her how to march, stand, perform, and handle a weapon. Most importantly, Roseann taught Lisa how to be a strong individual and bring out her best qualities and because of such an important instructional base, Lisa thrived in colorguard and continues to do so.

In 1984, Lisa left drum corps as she began the next phase of her life in college. During college, Lisa continued performing and choreographing in both college and high school musicals. Lisa choreographed West Side Story, Into The Woods, and South Pacific for Bayonne High School in the 1980's. After college, Lisa got married and now has two boys, Zachary and Jacob. In the late 1990's, Lisa's nieces were involved with an indoor colorguard and Lisa was asked to assist with instruction. She went back into teaching colorguard in 1999 with Fusion Jr colorguard from Parsippany. Within two season, Fusion Jr became medal winners in both classes of indoor guard and Lisa enjoyed watching her nieces thrive in the activity.

In 2003, she got 'the bug' to perform. Lisa was excited when she had the opportunity to march again with the senior drum corps, the Harrison Bushwackers. Again, she was blessed with excellent guard instructors in Scott Marshman, David Vega, and John Vega. Lisa was a weapon (saber and rifle) and flag for the Bushwackers in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, she decided to spend more time over the summer with her family and joined the Alumni Corps, Bridgemen. During the summer of 2005, she also helped the Bushwackers guard staff. By the end of 2005, Lisa truly missed the competitive aspect of highly skilled colorguards. So, in 2006, Lisa left the Bridgemen and rejoined the Bushwackers for the 25th anniversary season. Lisa was blessed again with an amazing staff, incredible friends, and in 2006, the Harrison Bushwackers took the Best Colorguard caption at DCA Championships. It was truly a memorable experience receiving that award with her niece Sarah by her side. The memories that Lisa acquired in her junior corps experience with the Bridgemen and her more recent senior corps experience with the Bushwackers will last a lifetime and she was treasure always.

Currently, Lisa has been assisting with the Morris Knolls High School Band but in March of 2008, Lisa was asked to join the staff of the Bayonne High School Marching Band. She was very happy to come back to her home town school and Lisa has been having an excellent experience working with these amazing young men and women. In 2009, Lisa was lucky enough to have her talented niece Sarah Argul join her on guard staff. Sarah brings a young and fresh flavor to Bayonne High's colorguard and her extraordinary talent is an invaluable added bonus to an already expanding colorguard program.

Sarah Argul - coming soon!

Marisa Yerex - Marisa has been employed in the Bayonne school district for 10 years, teaching instrumental music at Henry Harris and Mary J. Donohoe Schools. She graduated with honors from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University (just like Mr. P!) in 1999. Still an active musician, Marisa plays the tuba in several community bands, including the Bloomfield Youth Band, Rutgers University Wind Symphony, Central Jersey Wind Ensemble, and several brass quintets in the area. She has taught brass and marching technique for several NJ marching bands, including Immaculata, Rahway, and Perth Amboy high schools, and joined the Bayonne marching band staff in the summer of 2008.

George Lavelle - coming soon!