On Tuesday, December 17th Fair Grove High School Boys Basketball played against Branson, while the Fair Grove Pep Band hosted their Alumni Night.
Alumni Night was first held last school year as an opportunity for Fair Grove Band alumni to, “… come back and be a part of the band for one more night,” stated Fair Grove high school band director Natalie Palomo.
Palomo mentioned that those who attended last year’s Alumni Night seemed to enjoy their time and she hopes to continue this in future school years to bring in more alumni band kids.
Pep Band plays throughout the basketball season to provide entertainment to the audience at basketball games between quarters, halftime, and during the game the pep band encourages our basketball players and provides further excitement as the game unfolds, showing their support through their music.
Mackenzie Cavin, a former student at Fair Grove High School as well as a Band Alumni, shared her favorite memory in band, “Being able to hang out with my friends at the games and play good music together.”
Reflecting on her time in pep band Cavin mentioned she found it very beneficial to her in the aspect that she was able to make new friends and build her stamina while playing her instrument, the trumpet.
Seth Hardison, another former Fair Grove High School student and band alumni, shared, “Band helped me create and grow relationships with people I typically wouldn’t have interacted with.” Hardinson also mentioned his best memory from pep band was heckling the other team with his best friends.
Hardinson continues to play his instrument, the clarinet, out of high school with the Missouri State Community Band.
A few of the things Palomo mentioned she loved most about seeing the alumni on alumni night is, “Getting to see my own alumni. I love when my old students come back to visit and it’s sweet for me to get to be their band director one more time.”
Palomo continued to explain how she loves that she can give the older generations of band kids a chance to be a band kid again. One memory she shared that she had last year was, “I remember turning around to glance at the band at some point during the game, and the alumni who all graduated back in the early 2000s were all huddling together talking and laughing, and honestly, acting like my current band kids do.” Palomo concluded, “It was a really heartwarming flash to the past and I think it’s great to give those people a chance to feel like a kid again.”
Mrs. Palomo plans to continue the newly adopted tradition of the Fair Grove Pep Band Alumni Night, to be greeted with old faces, and allow band kids to return for one night.
