Lucas High School Honors Band Alumni

LUCAS — During a Friday night game, all eyes are usually on the football team. But many of those eyes were focused on the field before the regular season finale as Lucas High School honored its band and alumni.

It was a great evening for the Lucas community.

At least 19 seniors and a couple of seventh-graders attended the event before the band’s performance. For such a small school, the Lucas Marching Band consists of eighth through twelfth grade marching bands.

The oldest member of the group is a sophomore, four are freshmen, and the youngest is an eighth-grader. This makes them a noticeably smaller group than most others.

Although Lucas’s group is small, this does not affect the skills, enthusiasm and teamwork of its members.

“We were known to a lot of other groups as small but fierce,” said 2017 graduate Christopher Luke.

“Our group is very friendly because we are small and we have a lot of jokes. What happens in the band stays in the band,” said Eleanor Hecker, a freshman and member of the Lucas marching band.

Like all bands, they have brave and hardworking members who perform. Two of the members are also cheerleaders. In previous years, it was common to see a football player playing his instrument.

Hecker said freshman Sydney Nichols only joined the group a couple of weeks ago but has done a great job of building connections with the group.

Nichols said that although she had only been in the group for a couple of weeks, she had been around everyone since kindergarten, so they always felt like family to her.

“I enjoy playing in orchestra because I enjoy the challenge of the music, the confidence I get from playing and the friendships I have made through it,” Hecker said.

She stated that most of her siblings were either in the marching band or color guard, so she is excited to continue the tradition. The trumpet she uses belongs to her father when he was still in the band.

“I joined last year because of my siblings. I joined this year because I enjoy it, especially performing in front of people,” Hecker shared. “Our uniforms are better, more comfortable than I thought. I even fell in love with the fluffy feathers!”

Taylor Allen, who graduated in 2018, shared her experience using the Lucas color guard and how it has stayed with her to this day.

Allen and Luke have been high school friends for nine years, thanks to Lucas’ band and the color guard, she said.

Like Hecker, the Allen family has a long line of Lucas Gang members and color guards. Taylor attended the alumni event with her mother, brother and high school sweetheart.

Christine Allen, a 1982 graduate, played trumpet in Lucas’ band.

Christina was happy to participate with her daughter and son. As well as reflections on her time in Lucas’s band and the fond memories she holds to this day.

“I have friends for life. We started the group in fifth and sixth grade and were friends until our senior year,” she said.

Christine noted that many of her favorite songs to play and dance to have always been Halloween tunes—they give the freedom to be creative and spooky.

“The dance songs were fun and we could go out and be silly,” she chuckled.

Alumni and current band members agreed that it was a great evening and fun to reconnect with old faces and cheer on the new members who keep Lucas’ band strong.