A brisk Senior Night comes to an end
Marching band performs last show of football season
Bethel Park Majorettes and senior marching band members perform their own routine for Senior Night.
Friday, Oct. 18 was the last regular-season game at Black Hawk stadium. With that being said, it was also Senior Night, in which all seniors part of the football team, the cheerleading team, and the marching band are recognized. It is always a bitter-sweet time for the graduating class, but it is also a day full of fun traditions, specifically with the marching band.
To begin, during the section dinners on Senior Night, the underclassmen present the seniors in their sections with gifts and cards to express their thanks and farewell to their seniors. When the seniors arrive at the school to get ready for the game, they each get a flower pinned on to their uniform to specify that they are a senior. They also take a picture with their parents in the main lobby of the high school.
For the halftime show, Bethel Park is one of the only bands that puts together an entire show on Senior Night. The seniors get together and vote on the “senior song” that will be played. The student director makes the marching to go along with the song, and the majorettes completely design their routine. This year, the “senior song” that the seniors picked was “Copacabana,” and that is exactly what the marching band played on Friday.
Head Band Director Mr. Thompson, conducts the Star Spangled Banner during one of the Pre-Game performances.
After the “senior song” is played, all of the graduating class comes to the sideline along with their parents and their name is individually called by head band director, Mr. Thompson. After this, the band does a “scatter drill” into the formation of “Hot Time Bethel Victory,” a Bethel Park tradition for over five decades.
With the day being over, senior Nick Williams said: “It’s crazy how time goes by. It feels like just yesterday I was experiencing Senior Night as a freshman thinking that it would be forever until it will be my time [to march for the last time], but here we are.”
Excited for a Friday Night, senior Nick Williams cheers on the football team.
When asked if he had any advice for underclassmen who are in marching band, he said, “Don’t agonize over the future. Enjoy the little moments.”
Despite the Hawks losing to Peters Township 30-7, it was still a very special night for the seniors and everyone around.
Every Friday night, the football games are full of fun and marching band music. The marching band plays throughout the game with unity and confidence....