The Mighty Cardinal Band celebrated senior night at the Bellaire vs. Pasadena game at Butler Stadium on Sept. 12.
The band performed during the halftime show before parents joined members on the sidelines for photos and gifts. They also played in the student section during the third quarter of the game.
Senior and saxophone section leader Rahul Nanjundan started the marching band in his freshman year.
“The days leading up to senior night, I felt all the hard work and effort that I have put into band these past four years,” Nanjundan said. “Being like, ‘yeah, I’ve been here all four years, helping this band grow, not only as a band, but as a community of people’ is something that I felt proud of.”
Marching band season lasts from July to November, with practices every day from 6:45 a.m. to 8 a.m. outside. In addition, the band has extra practice for their upcoming Seattle performance on Nov. 22.
“My parents are definitely proud of how far I’ve come as a member of the band, and seeing me on senior night instilled a sense of pride in them,” Nanjundan said. “They pushed me to keep that consistency with going to band every day, because they knew in the end it would all pay off.”
Senior, clarinet player and band president Valeria Flores planned taking the photo on senior night for their plaque, which the band seniors will present later in the year. Flores will also write a farewell paragraph on behalf of the band seniors.
“I wanted to change up the communication between leadership and the rest of the band,” Flores said. “Before, it was really closed off in terms of communication between the parents and the teachers and the students. But the rest of the presidents also did a really good job in having us be close. So I wanted to keep a lot of traditions that we have.”
The show on senior night had a different formation than the other games, where seniors performed in the middle and underclassmen performed on the sidelines. Flores, who spends 6-10 hours per week with the band, said being a part of the organization “opened up a lot of doors” for her.
“I definitely think I’ve gotten a lot better as a player,” Flores said. “But I’ve also gotten more comfortable talking with other people, collaborating and being more independent.”
The band’s next performance is on Sept. 18 at the Bellaire vs. Alief Hastings game. To keep up with the band, follow their Instagram @mightycardinalband.
