The Beechwood Band Boosters have announced Julian Sandberg has been named winner of the 2026 Sarah E. Menez Memorial Scholarship recipient.
Sandberg was a member of the Beechwood Marching Tigers (2021-2025) where he was the lead drum major (2025) and clarinet section leader (2023-2024), KMEA state championship marching tigers (2021, 2023, and 2025) and state finalists in (2022, 2024), Beechwood Marching Tigers national class A Bands of America (BOA) Regional Championship (2025), and BOA grand national semifinalist (2022 and 2023).
Sandberg was a member of the Beechwood band that received the Sudler Shield Award (2022) by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, an award to premier high school marching bands internationally ranked at a world-class level of excellence. He also was a member of the Beechwood Symphonic Band, first chair clarinet (2022-2026) and first chair bass clarinet (2024) and first tenor saxophone in the Beechwood Jazz Ensemble (2024-2026).
He was selected for the NKBDA select middle and high school bands (2020-2026), the KMEA All-State Concert Band (2023), KMEA All-State Symphonic Band (2024-2025), KMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra (2026), and the Beechwood Jazz Ensemble (2024-2026) where he played the tenor saxophone.
Academically, Sandberg was recognized as a BHS National Honor Society member (2024-2026), Junior National Honor Society member (2021-2023), Mu Alpha Theta member (2023-2025), (2024-2025), Honor Roll student (2022-2026), and AP Scholar with Distinction (with a perfect score of 36 (2024)). He also achieved a perfect score of 1520 on the PSAT (2023) and was named a National Merit semifinalist (2025). Sandberg plans to attend Duke University.
Sandberg’s service activities included volunteering at the Kenton County Animal Shelter, Village Care Center, Isaiah House Ministries, Matthew 25 Ministries, Meals on Wheels, and Special Olympics.
“I am honored to receive the scholarship because the committee recognized in me some of the good character traits, musicianship, and academic achievement of Sarah Menez herself,” said Sandberg.
“We are pleased to have this scholarship to promote purposes and qualities of character, musicianship, and academic achievement in our students,” said Beechwood Band Boosters President Andy Cullison. “It is always a challenge, however, to select one student from so many fine candidates.”
The Sarah E. Menez Memorial Scholarship was established in 2014 by the Beechwood Band Boosters in association with Joseph Menez to honor the memory of his late wife Sarah Menez. One scholarship is awarded annually for tuition assistance to a senior attending Beechwood High School who has best represented the personal qualities of Sarah Menez, musicianship, academic promise and who has been accepted at an accredited college or university.
To learn more about the scholarship, visit www.beechwoodbands.org or contact Beechwood Bands Director Austin Bralley at 859-331-1220.
Contributions to the Sarah E. Menez Memorial Scholarship are welcome and can be donated to the Beechwood Band Boosters as a gift designated for the “Sarah E. Menez Memorial Scholarship.” The Band Boosters mailing address is 54 Beechwood Road, Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017.
Beechwood Marching Band