Hawthorne High School’s Marching Band, led by band and music director Robert Dubois, took home a first place trophy after competing in the Music in the Parks competition in Williamsburg, VA. The HHS Marching Band left on May 15 and returned on May 18, 2014.

According to sophomore and band member, Ian Bruinooge, the band played great achieving the second highest score possible, an Excellent. The scores range from Superior, Excellent, Good, and Fair.

In addition to competing in the Music in the Parks competition, students in the band also got to have some fun and do some sightseeing. As well as staying at the always-fun Great Wolf Lodge with its indoor water park, students got to visit the Williamsburg Outlets, take a tour of Colonial Williamsburg, and have a “customized Hawthorne-based game show dinner” followed by a dance.  On top of it all, students also got to spend a day at Busch Gardens Theme Park.

HHS senior and band member, Hannah Van Der Eems, commented on the trip, saying, “The band trip was fantastic and gave us an opportunity to grow together as a band. We made a lot of great memories that I won’t soon forget.”

The HHS Marching Band competition and over-night trip is a tradition that has been going strong for the past nine years thanks to Dubois. The tradition was started in 1976 when then-band director, Richard Conti, took the marching band to Disney World.

Overall, it would appear that the band trip is a tradition that HHS does not want to break, and for good reasons too. Senior and band member, Saul Cintron, shared his thoughts on the trip saying, “The band trip was a great experience for all the attending members. We learned a lot more about each other and grew closer as a group. There were many memorable events and experiences that I will remember for many years to come.”