Ninth grade performs last football show
Fun in the stands! The Altoona Band and Band Fronts cheer on the mountain lion team. They do stand cheers such as George, Chaser,and Nae Nae. “When we are in the stands I feel that we truly become a family in the fact that we support our jr. high football players,” drum major, Jacob Steinbugl said.
At 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, the eighth and ninth grade band and band front members will perform together at Mansion Park Stadium for the last time.
This performance impacts eighth and ninth graders as they take the field for their last pregame and halftime shows with the seventh graders.
“It’s definitely going to change the profile of the band,” Band Director Kent Martin said.
It’s a little less heartbreaking to leave now that we’re leaving with the eighth graders, but we still have seventh graders we bonded with, — Julia McCaully
Martin continued to explain how he believed both of the bands would be affected by the eighth and ninth graders leaving together for the high school band at the end of this year.
“You can still make a band, but it will change musically,” Martin said.
Not only will this change impact both the high school and junior high bands, but it will also impact things such as freshman football games. Every home game there is a band, but now that this upcoming year the ninth graders will be a part of the high school band, there will only be a band performing at high school football games. So, Thursday, Oct. 24 will be the last freshman football game with a band performing pregame and half time.
I feel like this will be special, and I feel people should value it because it’s the last of its kind and people won’t see something like it again. — JJ Steinbugl
“Its a big change, we’ve had junior high bands doing football games for 90 years, as I can figure, but things change and go on,” Martin said.
“It’s going to leave a big hole, and it’s going to be a challenge, but it’s also an exciting change and a chance for them (eighth and ninth graders) to join the senior high band,” music teacher Kelly Meyers said.
Some students are concerned about the changes.
“I think that it’s strange, and I’m not sure they’re getting all fairness they should be because they’re missing out on a lot of things,” ninth grade crew member Brandon Diehl said.
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Ryan Longstreth • Dec 19, 2019 at 8:39 am
I’m gonna miss the Jr.High and the band. It was a great opportunity to be able to liven up the crowd, and get them fired up for the games. Now that we’re leaving, there won’t be a band to hype up the crowds. I’ll never forget this wonderful experience!
Alyssa Koch • Nov 15, 2019 at 10:31 pm
This made me cry, because I’m a part of the band and I always want to be a part of my music family with 7th graders. Plus I bonded with so many people from 7th, 8th, and 9th graders (from this year and last year). I just want it to stay the way that we’ve been doing this whole skidder maddo. If us 9th and 8th graders must go to the new high school, that’s great, but why didn’t the school ask if all of us (students) if we wanted to go down this road. To me right now this is tragic, I do but I don’t want to move on from jr. high right now. This is all going to fast. I wish we could only go the way that the school was for years. I wish we only had a choice.