TJL Kids Take a Field Trip to the High School

Two weeks ago, the students in Thomas J. Lahey elementary school took a very exciting field trip to hear the high school marching band play. It was a heartwarming experience for everyone involved, as the high schoolers got to perform for the TJL kids and they got to hear how good an experienced band sounded. 

The young students started out running across the field, while the band played 7 nation army to get them excited. Once on the bleachers, they couldn’t contain themselves. Continuously gushing about how cool the kickline looked and how good the band sounded. 

They had to be told to be quiet several times. Throughout the entirety of the performance they were nothing but a good audience, clapping wildly at the end of every song and kickline routine. 

Juniors and kickline dancers Libby Kelly and Emma Barnett shared their happiness at being able to share with the kids- ‘I’m really excited, I think they’re really gonna like it” Libby stated, “it's a great opportunity for us to practice performing the routine in front of an audience, and for them to see what we can do.” Emma added, “they don’t have anything like the kickline in TJL, but so many of those kids are already dancing. I hope we’ll blow them away and get them excited to do it when they get older.”

After the performance, Mrs. Scilla and Mrs. Best, directors of the marching band and kickline respectively, spoke on how they thought it went and why they thought it was important. Scilla states, “I think it went as well as it could have gone. We love performing for our TJL kids, and I think it's so important to show them what's ahead of them. The band and the kickline provide so much spirit and excitement for the school and for the district, and getting to share that with the kids is always really gratifying.” 

Best stated, “We’re just really excited we were able to do this. We hadn’t been for the past few years and I think our high schoolers missed it as much as the TJL kids did. It's a great opportunity for aspiring students, whether they’re into music or dance, to see what's waiting for them when they get to high school.”

The kids were sad to leave at the end of the performance, and many of them waved goodbye to the band and kickline members as they left the field. It was clear the show really had an impact on them. 

Before her class left, second grader Angelie spoke on how she felt about getting to see the performance. She stated, “I thought that it was really great.” Her favorite part was, “when the kickline did the wavy thing.” 

This move, where the kickline went over and under each other's arms in rows, seemed to be a crowd favorite, soliciting roaring applause and gasps from the kids every time it was done. 

This was the first time the marching band and kickline had been able to do this in two years, and it's safe to say it was a huge success. The high schoolers loved performing for the TJL kids, and they loved watching it. It was an amazing and highly gratifying experience for everyone involved.