Color guard, band ready for new season

Aug 27, 2018

Although most people outside in the summer are desperate for a cool breeze, the members of the Dartmouth High School color guard were not happy about the wind as they wrapped up band camp on August 23.

Buen Orbiso and Kassidy Letton, the co-captains of the color guard, said the wind during their practice sessions has been challenging, especially because their coaches have let them know that wind is no excuse for dropping the flag.

Orbiso said her favorite part of color guard is “the rush, that feeling you get when everyone is together” and described color guard as “a visual representation of the music.”

This year, the show is called “The Rainforest,” and the band, the color guard, and the dancers will work together to tell the story of the environment, focusing especially on macaws.

“We’re going to bring you on this journey through the rainforest," said Addison Kaeterle.

This year, the color guard is going to incorporate more props, like six foot tall trees that will be placed around the field, a platform with dancers dressed as birds on top, and big feathers.

“Our goal every year is to be better than we were the year before,” Kaeterle said.

Gigi Chedid, Jesse Walker, Ryley Thatcher, and Jaeda Walker are also part of the color guard, but they toss rifles, not flags. They said that the four of them have gotten really close, since they are the only ones doing rifle.

Since the color guard has moved to a more competitive level this year, the rifle team said they are working on stepping up their skills.

“We have to do harder tricks and higher tosses,” Chedid said. “We’ve gotta work harder and take it to the next level.”

The color guard will be performing alongside the band at football games.