Hillgrove’s marching band attended their final competition of the season, Bands of America. This competition involves high school marching bands from across the nation. The bands display their shows of the seasons at the Georgia Dome to be judged and evaluated. This year, Hillgrove’s own marching band made it to finals for the first time in 5 years, placing tenth. It was a major accomplishment for the whole band, but especially for the seniors- as this was their last performance with the band.
The band’s performance this year was titled “When the Kings Go off to War”, and focused on the women who remained behind. “The show sends a really powerful message about women and them finally gaining independence during WWII as the ‘kings’ or soldiers went off to war and fight,” says Victoria Pepe, on the marimba. “Personally, I loved the theme of the show and was excited to watch how everything unfolded this season and such a powerful, touching, show was created.” Rosie the Riveter was used as a key icon within the show as a representation of the power and knowledge the women of this period.
The seniors were especially happy to make finals this year. “I knew it was going to be close, but if we gave it our best in prelims, I knew we could do it,” spills Davis Henry, trombone. Commonly, only schools with big, well known names make finals, so when a lesser-known school like Hillgrove makes finals, it’s a big deal to those in the competition and at the school. “Making finals was the cherry on top of a great four years. It was fantastic to finally experience what that felt like as a senior. I wouldn’t trade my four years in the Hillgrove band for anything and making finals as a senior felt great,” gushes Shannon O’Donnell. “As a drum major, I was just so incredibly proud of everyone, especially the underclassmen. They have worked really hard this season and stepped up to the plate, so making finals was so great for them.” Jalen Hariston states, “It felt amazing, I couldn’t ask for a better was to go out. It felt like all the hard work we’ve put in had been building up to this.”
Of course, seniors aren’t the only ones to feel nostalgic about their time in the marching band: everyone will miss this successful season. “I’m not at all worried about the band in the future. They will continue to improve,” says O’Donnell. “One day, Hillgrove will be a nationally known marching band. I will be so proud when they will make grand nationals one day and I’ll be able to say, ‘I used to be a part of that.’”