Our Town Lexington: High school marching band

LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) - When band director Chad Scharff arrived at Lexington High School about 28 years ago, there were 67 students in the high school band. Now, there are nearly 250.

“I was hoping that maybe we’d reach 150, maybe 175 someday, but I never thought it would reach almost 250 students,” Scharff said.

Sophomore drum major Emma Lorenz enjoys seeing the formations develop on the field and the audience response to performances. “Like when we were in Kearney for state, we had to go underneath the bleachers to get around and go to the front,” Lorenz said. “Once they announced Lexington, we just heard people stomping and it felt like thunder, and I just thought it was so cool.”

Junior drum major Greta Rickertsen says the enthusiasm from Lexington High School supporters is something students never take for granted. “If you go to any of our away competitions, like in Lincoln, that’s a three hour drive,” Rickertsen said. “You get home after midnight, and yet, there’s so many Lex fans there. It’s amazing.”

The band is a source of pride in the community and students appreciate being part of the organization. “They want to be part of something that’s really good, that’s welcoming,” Rickertsen said.

Band directors say there are many reasons why the band program has grown through the years. “We just approached it more like a smaller school in that, we like athletes to be involved in our band, we like kids that are in speech to be involved in band,” Scharff said. “We just kind of developed this atmosphere where we worked with coaches, we worked with all kinds of people in the community to make it accessible for our kids.”

“A lot of our students are family. They’re a lot of the same cousins. We’ve got a few sibling pairs in here too. And I think it’s a generational program for sure,” band director Sarah Ernst said.

The band continues to score big in competition. This year, they had success at the Lincoln High School Links marching contest. “And that was the first time we’ve been back in a while. We actually won grand champion and best percussion and best color guard overall,” Ernst said.

For many, being in the band is like being part of something bigger than themselves. “We have all different makes of kids and different cultures,” Scharff said. “But once they put that uniform on and they put that hat on, they all become one and they strive for one purpose. And I think it’s a really neat thing for our kids to do.”

Students will be looking forward to putting on that uniform again when band season rolls around, and Lexington will be ready to support them. “There’s a lot of support from the community, as well as administration and staff. I think that’s why it’s grown to what it is,” Scharff said.

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