by Sonora Taffa & Annelise Jacobson

The band breaks and screams, rushing onto the football field from all four corners.  A gift box with arms and legs sprints wildly past Barack Obama, lumbering under the weight of a bass drum. A moment later, out of the kaleidoscope of costumes, pops one word: GAGA.

The beginning notes of Bad Romance float out above the crowd, and so begins the marching band Halloween show.

“It may seem pretty chaotic, but that’s part of the fun,” said the drum line section leader, Aaron Ottmar ‘11.

At the pinnacle of the performance, Thriller was featured.

“Michael Jackson is awesome,” said colorguard member Emmy Devine ‘11. “Thriller is basically THE Halloween song.”

Thriller’s signature “zombie walk” is definitely a point of pride among marching band members.

“All I could think was ‘Do I look zombie enough?’” Madi Genz ’14, trumpet, said.

Bringing it in for the finish was Hey Jude by the Beatles, the marching band’s traditional goodbye to its graduating seniors. Each note draws the band nearer and nearer to the end of the marching season, the last note ringing with a sense of finality through the stadium.  It is a farewell, and a last word in a season full of accomplishment.

One of these accomplisments was recieving a Division I rating in the state marching tournament.

“I was very happy they did such a great job,” Director Dr. McReynolds said.  He believed in his band to perform their absolute best.

“They practiced hard and each week the show just got better,” he said.

The drumline was also honored for their halftime performence with a superior rating.

“I was really proud of everyone,” said Ottmar. “All the hard work really paid off.”