They arrive at the stadium three hours before every home game. They set the tables with food and then serve band students with smiles on their faces. They stand up and cheer when the band takes the field for the halftime show. They do all this time and time again without much praise or recognition.
Stillwater High School Band parents go above and beyond at every football game and at every contest to make sure that everything goes according to plan. Most band students know they wouldn’t be able to do what they do without the parents working tirelessly behind the scenes.
“I know for a fact that I would’ve quit freshman year had I not had the support from not just band kids but also from my parents and the people around me during that time,” Wyatt McNickle, one of the SHS band drum majors, said.
There are many people who show up to support the band. From band parents who move props and prepare the food and snacks, to the bus drivers who drive students all over the state, some of whom have been driving them for decades, or to the parents and siblings who are just along for the ride. No matter what subcategory of supporters they are, they all put in an insane amount of effort into every marching season.
With the amount of band parents the SHS band has, and the amount of support the band gets from them, it is no surprise that the seniors and former band members get nostalgic every year.
Emery Fuxa, a former band student, now an Oklahoma State University freshman and member of the OSU band, stated “Yeah, People come to watch their kids at games, but they’re not involved like they are in high school,” Fuxa said. “We have a great photographer (shout out to Robin) and athletics provides water and things like that, but I did love how personal it felt when the high school parents fed us and gave us water and stuff”
“I was really lucky to have a truly amazing high school band experience, so of course I miss it. But I’m having fun here, too.”
Kerry McNickle, an SHS band parent, is thankful for the experience she has had in the years she’s been a part of the band. She said the parents wouldn’t be able to make it through if it wasn’t for the kids.
“Our group of band directors expect a high level of dedication and responsibility from their students,” McNickle said. “I truly believe that when adults show respect and encouragement to children, and other human beings in general, it translates into healthier, more well-rounded human beings in the future.”
The SHS band parents have become a community within a community that you wouldn’t realize otherwise if you weren’t a part of the band. These parents will be a special part of the band for years and years to come.