On May 13 at 7 am, the Jefferson-Morgan Marching Band got on a bus headed to their last main competition of this school year.

The band rode on the bus till 12 pm until they arrived at a high school nearby Six Flags to compete. Once there, the band quickly got their instruments out and marched a lap on their track field whilst playing the school’s fight song,  Washington and Jefferson Swing, as well as this year’s patriotic feature, Battle Hymn of the Republic.

“At first, I was intimidated by the size of the bands we were competing against,” said sophomore Jordan Hess. “But once I practiced and regained my bearings, it just felt like another practice.”

After the parade, the band was treated by spending the rest of the day at Six Flags.

Keon Dohn, a band veteran for 6 years said, “Six Flags was really cool! It was like a Kennywood that is more geared towards fans of the more extreme.”

There the band had fun and adventures around the park until they met with the other bands for the award ceremony. There were a ton of bands ranging from single A all the way to triple A. There were was also a wide selection of bands competing such as jazz, concert and chorus to name a few.

“It was really cool to see so many different people from all over the country competing there,” said sophomore Jordan Hess. “I definitely made sure to learn things from the other bands, as well as share some tips of my own,”

Despite being the smallest band there, the Jefferson-Morgan Rocket Band was able to take home not only one but two trophies! The Rocket Band was awarded first place for marching and first place in teamwork and spirit.

“The band members really worked their butts off these past couple of weeks. I’m glad to see that their hard work and dedication paid off,” said the band booster president and trip chaperone Lori Pochron.

On the second day of the trip, the band ventured around Washington D.C. and visited many landmarks such as the Washington Monument, Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials. However the highlight of the second day in many’s eyes was visiting the Arlington Cemetery and witnessing the changing of the guard.

Creed Duda, an 8th grade band member said “It was surprisingly peaceful there and I wasn’t the only one to notice it either. Everyone was quiet, courteous and respectful of the dead.”
This trip did not mark the last performance for the band this school year. On May 28th, the band will meet up at the Rices Landing American Legion, then march to the Hewitt Presbyterian Church where they’ll play a myriad of different songs in honor Memorial Day. The next day, the band is expected to perform next to the Liars Den in Mather for the service. Report times for these events are 1:15 pm for the Memorial Day Parade in Rices Landing and 10:15 am for the Memorial Day Service in Mather.