The Arlington High School band is a huge part of our school and the environment we create. However, the band has gotten the short end of the stick for many years now. They have had the same uniforms for about 30 years, since the old high school campus was still in use. Because the band’s numbers have gradually been increasing, the sizes and amounts of uniforms they actually have are very off.

The band has been waiting to get these uniforms for so long, however, they are going to have to wait until the Memorial Day to get them, because according to band council president, Cristina Hutchens (12), they take 6 months to ship and that parade would be the first opportunity for them to be broken in.

The biggest reason the band ordered new uniforms was because they “fall apart all the time,” said Hutchens. They even became a little dangerous when one student broke his tooth on the metal end of a string attached to the uniform during the homecoming halftime show last year. Also, Hutchens and the band members think that the old uniforms get way too hot and they’re very complicated to put on. These new uniforms will save the band some struggle for the first time in 30 years.

One complication that came with the order of the uniforms was that the band had to do its own fundraising to be able to get them. The school wouldn’t contribute any money towards the cause, even though it costed about $150,000 and they had to order around 200 uniforms.

As for the appearance of the uniforms, Hutchens says they will be “newer looking, but pretty similar to the old uniforms. They will be a little more minimalist.”

Although Hutchens won’t be able to wear her new uniform for long, this will be the start of a new era for the AHS band. Because it’s been so long since the band has had something brand new, these new uniforms will transform their spirit and character.