At home games this year, the MGP is mixing things up and performing a Spirit Show during halftime then their competition show following the end of the game. The school district does not want people to be on the field after the game so the band can perform their show: Heartless. This has stirred up some controversy within the school population.

“I feel like once the football game is over, everyone is just going to want to go home and sleep because it’s going to be really late,” senior Jonathan Richards said.

In the past, football games would usually end at 10:30 p.m. which is still the case, but the band will be performing their 8-minute show once the game ends. Senior Kaycee Hickman said it is a tradition to take pictures with the boys after the game and it gives everyone a chance to show appreciation to the team.

“My favorite part would be when you see the fans and parents flood the field to see the players,” Hickman said. “You look around and you see the love in the parents’ eyes and the joy that the students have for our school and football team.”

The Spirit Show also gives an opportunity for the band members who do not get to be in the competition show to get the experience of performing in front of a crowd and get the praise. Students in the band who did not make the competition show would typically roll props around and not march.

This was a problem since parents are paying money to watch their children stand and not perform. With the spirit show, parents get to have that proud moment of looking at their child doing what they love.

Regardless of student and parent concerns, the show will go on, and it will soon be the norm based on what the district thinks is best for the school.