This past month has been really busy for the Trojan Guard and they have been hard at work ever since the start of the first quarter. Our band directors, Jonathan Flodder and Vincent Arizzi, have put so much effort into making the Trojan Guard the best band they can be, and have had some significant achievements this season. 

The CHS Trojan Guard traveled to Louisville Kentucky on October 1st to perform at Cardinal Stadium to compete in the Bands of America Regional Championship. Bands of America is a music education advocacy organization and promoter of high school marching band competitions in the U.S. This competition is widely known for being the best band competition in the United States. It is very difficult to win a BOA Grand National Championship, though Chesterton does have the honor of winning that award in 1981. 

Trojan Guard performed their show “Something Blue” and competed against schools from other neighboring states, such as Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana. 

  “Bands of America was a very cool experience,” recalls sophomore Olivia Sundquist. “I’m glad I got to be a part of it! It was also fascinating to see the different strategies and approaches in different bands.” 

  Following Bands of America, TG also had an outstanding achievement of winning first place at Penn’s “Carnival of Bands” on the 24th of September. Not only did the band win first place with an Outstanding Performance, but they also won Best Music, Best Visual and Best Effect too. Their performance of “Something Blue” was beautiful and audiences loved their performance of “Blues in the Night” and “Rhapsody in Blue”. The Color Guard had a fantastic performance as well. The Color Guard directors, Mariah Salyers and Bella Habzansky, did a very good job of coordinating a beautiful synchronized performance with costume changes and ballroom dancing. 

The Trojan Guard also had the opportunity to host ISSMA Prelims on Saturday, October 8. This competition determines whether they get a chance to go to state and compete against 17 different bands. They won a gold rating, as well as the designation of “With Distinction” due to their incredible visual performance. With this win, TG was able to compete in State this past Saturday, October 22nd. 

“It was awesome to see us win an award we worked so hard for and I am so proud of our band for putting our best effort out on the field,” says Sundquist. 

This past Saturday, the Trojan Guard traveled to Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis to perform for ISSMA State. The band did incredibly well and received 4th place for their performance. Due to the rules of the competition, their scores, unfortunately, can’t be disclosed to the public just yet but will be released in a couple of weeks. 

Trojan Guard truly worked their hardest this past season and have made some amazing memories along the way. Both Arizzi and Flodder worked incredibly hard to put an amazing show together, as well as the color guard directors, Salyers and Habzansky. CHS wishes the band the best of luck for their future. Go Trojans!.