Parade ignites holiday happiness for all

Halloween has officially ended. Although there may be debate over its formal start, most people will acknowledge that the holiday season is off and running. As people replace webs for wreaths and crank up Mariah Carey, the band students and twirl team of West prepare for a night of early festivities in November.  

Junior Elise Palecek looks forward to playing holiday tunes. 

“It’s just really fun to play Christmas music,” they said.

According to band teacher Daniel Singer, there is a great deal of effort going on behind the scenes to create a successful program. 

“There is a lot of planning and a lot of work to make it happen, and it starts right when school starts,” he said. “Mr. Wilson and I pick which music we want to use and in most cases it is an arrangement that Mr. Wilson has written. This year we are playing ‘We need a little Christmas’ from the musical, Maime.”

Besides the band, several Wildcat students are doing their part with dance. Junior Evelyn Green, a member of the twirl team, is an experienced member performing with Julie's Touch of Silver’s dance studio. 

“We had the younger students doing an easier routine, and then the older students doing a more complex routine throughout the whole parade,” she said. “Any child can participate in the holiday parades as long as you have had one year of twirling experience, so I’ve probably been twirling in them since I was seven or eight.”

Junior Ocyana Galloway, also on the team, feels that preparation for the event is smooth and organized.

“We have our same dance we do every year so it does not take that long to prepare,” she said. “For about two weeks, we practiced about three hours a day.”

Even with perfect practices, the team still has to consider outside and unpredictable variables, according to Green.

“We need to make sure we all still perform well even if there may be snow, wind, or some harsh weather temperatures,” she said. 

Senior Anika Larson finds marching to be an emotional roller coaster.

“The hardest part of the parade is staying warm and not freezing,” she said. “It’s hard not to cry because the wind is blowing but the wind is freezing our tears. Our fingers get so tense.”

Junior Sunny Wolf is excited to get back into the marching band after a year hiatus forced by the pandemic. 

“I missed the feeling of being in a parade and everyone cheering you on,” she said. “It can be hard, but it’s rewarding.”

Singer was definitely ready to jump back into action. 

“We are glad to be back at it, this is a unique year because of how things were canceled last year and the sophomores and the freshmen have never done this before,” he said. “I am excited for all of the students to experience it and for the community to have this event back.” 

Wolf acknowledges the difficulties that come with a pandemic-stunted start. 

“The freshman and the sophomores haven’t marched yet,” she said. “We have to be strict and on top of things to teach them.” 

Sophomore Ben Grill felt the pressure and high expectations, but is grateful for the opportunity nonetheless. 

“I feel like it was difficult to learn how to do everything, 10 to 15 hours goes into it and it’s a lot of hard work,” he said. “But, we are excited to continue the West band tradition.”

The band team puts in immense thought and effort to put on a successful show every year, according to Singer.

“We have to pick the music, make enough copies for everyone, and then after our fall concert distribute the music right away, start learning it, memorizing it, and teach everyone how to march,” he said. “We do lots of planning for getting parent volunteers, reserving space, making sure everyone has a uniform/fitting/altering/ordering, getting 70-100 pizzas, picking them up, and even more.”

Sophomore Allison Simmons is especially grateful for the extra help from members of the community. 

“I am very excited for this parade, mainly because it really brings the community together and it supports the local bands,” she said. “I honestly think the hardest part is handled by the volunteers setting up the parade, all the different events going together and making sure everything runs smoothly. It puts a lot on the people.” 

Green feels an overall sense of satisfaction to move past difficulties and reap the rewards of the holiday parade.

“Being able to see everyone’s faces is so much fun, getting to dress up and showcase what we all love to do is a wonderful feeling,” she said.

Moving past flashy choreographed moves, Galloway feels more joy from the simple delights of the parade.

“I enjoy doing all the routines because I love the upbeat music and I love performing for people,” she said. 

Junior Lily Molash commends the students’ efforts. 

“It is eye opening to watch the students in the parade and see what they work on, and it brings school spirit familiarity,” she said. “ I think it brings the students closer.”

Larson is grateful for the opportunity to gather again.

“We’re super excited, it’s our senior year and we love bringing holiday joy to our community,” she said. “Holiday spirit, joy, and the parade bringing us all together.”

by Hannah Chung and Meghan Oakes

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 3

November 29th, 2021