While Friday Night Lights often centers on the football team, many other groups help make the magic happen. Without the color guard and marching band, the school’s spirit would not be the same.
Color guard is a competitive activity that combines flags, prop weapons and dance. The season runs year-round, with multiple weekly practices and all-day competitions on Saturdays.
Senior and assistant captain Georgia McElwain has been involved in color guard since her freshman year. She said she was initially drawn to the program as a positive environment where she could meet new people and build friendships.
“Being both a senior and assistant captain has made me appreciate this season more than I ever have before, knowing it’s my last year spinning with all of my best friends,” McElwain said. “Being able to help my underclassmen teammates with various techniques has not only allowed me to help my team blossom, but I’ve also discovered things in my own technique to work on as well.”
McElwain described the team dynamic as diverse, with members bringing different personalities and skill sets to the group. To her, however, the team feels like family.
“To me, color guard is like a second family — an extremely judgment-free zone,” McElwain said. “I’ve made so many friends and relationships that I’ll cherish forever. Both the activity and the people have helped me find my true self and allowed me to be my authentic self.”
A typical three-hour color guard practice includes three main components: stretching and dance, flag warmups and tosses, and weapon line practice.
McElwain said her favorite competition was Psycho during the 2023-24 indoor season, which was based on the Alfred Hitchcock film. The team experimented with more aggressive facial expressions and techniques, earning a new high score in Mt. Lebanon’s winter guard history.
For younger students considering joining color guard, McElwain encourages them to take the leap.
“My advice for someone thinking about joining the guard is to really go for it,” she said. “There’s no harm in trying something new, even if it’s outside your comfort zone. Realistically, the only thing that can come out of this activity is something extremely positive.”
On the other side of Friday Night Lights, trumpets, saxophones, drums and more energize the crowd from the first down to the final whistle.
Senior percussionist Anika Schmid joined the marching band in eighth grade after being inspired by her older brother, who played in the front ensemble. Watching him perform showed her how much he enjoyed the activity and helped bring them closer together.
That year’s competitive show, Kittyhawk, featured multiple voiceovers, which Schmid was responsible for triggering during performances, a role she took on with help from her brother and her mother’s involvement on the band board.
Since her freshman year, Schmid said her role in percussion has evolved significantly, as she grew from a quiet and nervous eighth-grader into a front ensemble leader.
“In my eighth-grade year, I spent a lot of the season quietly following my brother around,” Schmid said. “The more experience I gained, the more I was able to help others in my section. This year, I ended up being one of the front ensemble section leaders, which allowed me to help make sure things ran smoothly.”
Schmid believes the marching band enhances football games by energizing the crowd and encouraging more people to attend. One of her favorite traditions is when the drumline plays a cadence in front of the student section during games.
She also said there is a common misconception about marching band — that people don’t always realize how physically demanding it is. According to Schmid, marching band is about 75% movement and 25% playing.
“What isn’t seen is how much equipment we have to move before and after shows,” Schmid said. “I’ve spent a lot of time lifting marimbas onto trucks and moving equipment up and down hills.”
For Schmid, one of the most rewarding experiences was performing at a home competition dedicated solely to the marching band, as well as the friendships she has built along the way.
“It feels so nice to play for a crowd that’s there just for the marching band,” she said. “Some close friends of mine who had graduated but were in marching band with me came back to support me. Seeing them in the front row right before I played was one of my favorite memories of the season.”
