The Westwood Warrior Marching Band put on one of their biggest productions so far with the March-A-Thon on Saturday, Sept. 22. Students rehearsed for hours so they could give their best performance for their much anticipated fundraising event at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex.

“Although it was a four hour rehearsal, I was really excited to learn new moves to add into the show,” Fiona Rabakukk-Langthorn ‘20 said. “It’s definitely a lot more challenging than our show from last year, but that’s what makes it more interesting.”

The March-A-Thon fundraiser was inspired by Cedar Park and Vandegrift High School. Their band programs found success with it, so the band directors decided it would be a good way to expand the program.

“This year, we weren’t selling actual products,” Tom Klink ‘19 said. “We were selling an idea. We asked people to support us because we wanted to raise money for a program that we love being a part of.”

Friends and family members who donated to the March-A-Thon fundraiser received a free admission to a performance of this year’s band show, Celestial Motions, and would get to see the band’s new performance tops and props, which follow the theme of the show.

“Our [performance] tops have a galaxy imprinted on the front of it,” Erin Xu ‘21 said. “The guard uniforms are super sparkly and pretty, and for props, we have two small star shaped props and one big one that stays in the center of the field.”

Students from Grisham, Canyon Vista, and Pearson Ranch middle schools arrived to perform  We Got the Beat by the Go-Go’s. The band directors wanted to give the younger players a chance to experience the high school band culture.

“We Got the Beat isn’t the most exciting song to play, but it was really cool playing with the middle schoolers,” Bella Cowart ‘19 said. “Even though I won’t be here when they come to high school, I’m glad they got to experience something like that.”

After the middle schoolers performed with the band, sophomores, juniors, and seniors were presented with their letterman jackets by drum majors. Students typically receive a letterman after two years of marching varsity. The final event of the night was the band’s performance of their show.

“Performing the show with our new tops and new choreography was so much fun,” Andrew Stevens ‘20 said. “After we finished, everyone was smiling and laughing and we looked awesome too. It just came to show how hard work really pays off.”

The band ended up raising $56,270, making this the biggest fundraiser they have ever had. The first $25,000 will go towards paying the band’s choreographers, drill writers, and buying new props for the coming years. The rest of the money would be set aside to buy the band a semi-truck to transport large instruments and props to football games and competitions.

“We’re super proud of the kids for raising all this money,” band director Thomas Turpin said. “It’s super humbling to know that they love this program so much, and we can’t wait to do this fundraiser again next year.”