Art/Photo by Lauryn Shin

At the beginning of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited most sports and performing arts classes from meeting in person. However, as the situation with the pandemic improved over time, some teams were able to meet in-person again, including, on March 1st of this year, West High’s marching band. Practicing in-person is an important part of the marching band, and Monday night practices were just one aspect, but returning to in-person practices have signalled the beginning of a return to normalcy. Shreshta Kumar (12), the drum major for West’s marching band, defined her experience as “really nostalgic. Especially as a senior, this being my last year in band, I was really sad to not have my final season (being the drum major too), so seeing other people was super refreshing.” Being apart was definitely harder for some more than others, but practicing in-person provided a taste of what students love about band.