At halftime of the Friday Night Under the Lights football game at Kinsmen Century Field the school’s marching band was back in formation.
“The students worked really hard to get ready for this,” said band leader and first-year music instructor Adelle Sawatzky after the performance.
What the large crowd at the game saw “that was their (students) hard work.”
The marching band which had been notable for years participating in major events such as the Grey Cup and Rose Bowl Parades, had been dormant at the school for a number of years, going back to before COVID-19.
Under Sawatzky they began practicing again in September with Friday their first public outing.
So why resurrect the marching band?
“It’s a big part of the tradition (at the school),” said Sawatzky.
Although in her first year at the school Sawatzky said she felt good about taking on bringing back the marching band, in-part because long-time instructor Larry Pearen agreed to help.
“I knew I could do it with him,” she said.
While the students were musicians, the marching was an element they had to learn in a matter of a few weeks.
“It’s getting to know the formations and playing together,” said Sawatzky.
