When the Dukes come marching in…
Near the beginning of the parade, the marching band wows the crowd with their drum cadence and the fun lyrics.
Over spring break, the band department took a bus trip down to Disney World to march in the Epcot Parade.
The band department spent Saturday at Magic Kingdom, Sunday at Epcot, and Monday at Universal Studios before heading back home for another 25-hour bus ride.
The marching band was given the opportunity to march in the Epcot Parade with two other marching bands from other states. Despite the heat, they played “Thanks for the Memories” by Fall Out Boy and their drum cadence.
They created memories to last forever, including singing “Happy Birthday” to drum major Emmett O’Brien nearly 20 times, even though his birthday was months ago.
“It was hilarious,” said junior Maya Moran. “We got Disney employees and other people at the park to sing to him. He hated it. We loved it.”
The students in the band had a great time at Disney and are thankful their directors, Mr. Riddle and Mr. Pavlik, as well as the many parent chaperones that came along for the journey.
Complete with shimmies, here are some photos of the band marching at Epcot. Great job Dukes!

The color guard completes a move during their “Thanks for the Memories” routine while marching through the United Kingdom at Epcot.

Drum Majors Emmett O’Brien and Jack Gornick lead the band through their last parade of the season.

The flute section follows the color guard in step through Epcot.

The saxophones march in step, staring straight forward in order to not run into the sections in front of them.

The trombone section marches forward during the cadence, getting ready to chant.

Leading the band through the cadence, the Drumline brings a powerhouse force to the parade.

Walking back to the staging area, the marching band was one of the biggest bands Epcot has had recently.

The snare drums, Eric Doberstien, Matt Shiley, and Ben Airdo, stand at the front of Drumline and hold the rhythm for the band.

Alex Kritikos, a junior in the mellophone section, marches in time as he plays “Thanks for the Memories.”

The clarinet section gives it their all as they get to the “shimmy” section of the cadence

The band, stretching far down the road, marches through Epcot.

After the band returned home, the uniforms were piled up in the band room to be dry cleaned.

After the parade, the color guard meets to spend the rest of the day in Epcot.

Madeleine DeGrace is a senior on staff. This is her fourth year in a journalism class, and she loves it. She is editor in chief of the 100 year yearbook...