On Friday, Sept. 9, the Westwood Warrior Marching Band invited eighth-grade students from Westwood’s feeder middle schools to join in for their halftime performance at the football game. 

Eighth-grade band students from Canyon Vista Middle School and Grisham Middle School accompanied the band in playing a variety of popular stand tunes as well as Land of a Thousand Dances for the halftime performance.

“I thought it was a ton of fun, being in the stands and on the field with the high schoolers,” future warrior Theresa Clements said. “It was also a great way to learn and experience what we’ll be doing next year, and eighth-grade night made me even more excited for high school.”

Each middle schooler was assigned a high school buddy who guided them through the process of performing at a football game. Members of the high school band also wrote letters to their eighth-grade buddies. 

“I was kind of worried that I would mess it up and tell my buddy the wrong thing, but it was really fun,” Katya Murkes ‘25 said. “It was great to meet all the eighth graders, and I’m really excited to have them here next year.”

The event gave future band students a taste of marching band by giving them a chance to perform to large audiences on a football field. 

“I think [the purpose is] so everybody gets to know the eighth graders so that they feel more welcome by the time summer band comes,” Murkes said. 

The band will be holding their annual Marchathon performance on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Kelly Reeves, where seventh and eighth-grade band students will again join them for a portion of the event.