The McPherson High School band attended the Emporia State Marching Festival on

October 7. The marching band received a one rating and took first place overall. They had the

highest overall rating from the judges.

“I think as a band overall we really came together and did well at the Emporia

competition,” senior Kaitlyn van Asselt said. “Everyone stepped up and took care of themselves

and was fully focused on what needed to happen. There is obviously still room for improvement

as it was only our first competition, but getting the highest score overall is a really good way to

psych the band up for the next few competitions.”

The band also plans to attend the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio over New Year’s break to

compete in another marching competition. The winning school gets to perform during halftime.

“I think by the time December rolls around our show will be better, but not perfect,”

senior Grace Colaw said. “There will be a lot of great bands there and I think we have our work

cut out for us.”