At Greenwood, we all either know someone in sports or participate in one ourselves.. But Greenwood has more to offer its students than just sports. Aside from clubs, we also have a band. Everybody knows about the band and its director Mr. Watts.
There’s more to the Greenwood band than just having class every other day. One of the opportunities outside of class is the marching band. The marching band performs at parades, certain games, and the fall Pep Rally. If playing an instrument isn’t for you, there’s another part of the band that you can join. The Greenwood Color Guard is currently a squad of five people and we’re looking to expand. If you don’t know what Color Guard is, I highly suggest looking up the Penn State Blue Band. We’re nowhere near as professional as they are, but it shows the general idea of what we do. Color Guard uses flags, wooden rifles, or sabers, which we do not have, to choreograph a routine to a specific song. Sometimes, they are performed while marching or standing still.
The Greenwood Color Guard is coached by Jennifer Haefner and our members are Lydia Miller (our senior), Maddison Young, Louie (Summer) Gill, Hannah Morrison, and Arykah Hahn.
Starting on Wednesday April 12, eventually switching over to Thursdays, the 2023-2024 season begins from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. It’s a once a week commitment open to anyone going into 9th grade through 12th. Everything you need to know is taught, no experience necessary. In addition to the once a week commitment, there’s usually only a one week summer commitment for the Farm Show in August. The only other potential commitment is the Fireman’s Parade but that isn’t always something the band does.
Color Guard isn’t just for girls, it’s open to anyone, tech students included. When it comes to our uniforms, if you are uncomfortable with them, it can be arranged that you can wear a band uniform.
If you’ve paid attention at the fall Pep Rally or seen the halftime show at the homecoming game, those routines were created by the members of the Color Guard. Practice isn’t just making routines and practicing them. It’s also just fun and relaxed. Mrs. Haefner is pretty lenient and creates a fun environment. When we don’t have anything to really do, time is given for homework and games like hide and seek. Whenever possible, we go outside so we can all get some fresh air and practice with the wind, the arch nemesis of any flag twirler.
If Color Guard seems like something you would enjoy, message Mrs. Haefner through Schoology by our second practice on Wednesday April 19th. You can join in the fall if that works better, but starting in the spring allows for the most time to learn everything. We will be meeting in the High School Auditorium after school at 3 p.m. and hope to see some new faces.