Junior John Berger performs with the Thundering Herd marching band during the Homecoming football game Oct. 28. The Thundering Herd periormed at every home football game. -Amber Bazargani hearing rolls of thunder Thundering Herd brings music to football games This year, before the rest ofthe student body returned toSearcy and gOt back into the swing of campus life, theT hundering Herd Marching Band could be seen practicing their drills for the upcoming year. Members of the Herd returned to Searcy the Wednesday before school started for an annual band camp to get a head start on the group's drills. learning the music and reviewing the basics of marching. However. this year. instead of simply learning abom marching, band members sought after a different goal: uni ty. "{Uniry] was actually our theme for camp." junior Ryan Locke, band president, said. According to Locke, all of the band offi cers wanted to stress unity during the season. To prepare for camp, officers held meetings in the spring of 2006 discussing ways to welcome new members. One way the group decided to make this happen was to assign each new member a "band buddy:" a returning member who hel ped the new member throughout the week. To emphasize un iry throughout the week. both old and new members were given bandannas to wear to every practice. ''All me rerurning members wore gold bandanas," Locke said. "All the band buddies gave the incoming members green bandannas. The new members had to wear their bandannas to every practice. On initiation night, the old members gave the new members gold bandannas." Band members participated in other activities which drew them closer as a group throughout the week. T he first day, the group mer for dinner Jazz Band Row I: M. Bowling,J. Leath.T. Morse, M. Martin. G. Scott. M.Walton. Row 2: B. Braswell.J.Wilhite. R. Locke. K. Perkins, R. Helton. Row 1: D. Hunt,J. Berger. D. Lee. B. Perkins, L. Kirkham. L ._... 216 organizations and a mixer. Every morning {he Herd participated in devotionals, which culminated in a large group devotional on Saturday night. Senior Cassy W ithrow marched with the Herd for her fourth year and served as d rum major for the band. "One of the things that was cool about this year is that we all had a common goal," Withrow said. "Everyone wanted ro do a good job." Junior Kris Perkins served as vice president for the band and was in charge of arranging social activities such as a Halloween banquet and a day of service. Perkins said in addition to the activities planned by the officers, new members would get together and arrange social activities on their own, creating a group that was more tight-knit than in previous years. Freshman Kayla Brown, a new member of the Herd, said the bonds fo rmed between members at camp and later through social acti vities outside of band helped to form her core group of friends. "We still eat together all the time," Brown said. "We make sure we have Bible classes together; if I'm wo rking, they'll come to visit m e," Building on the friendships formed at camp, the Herd was able to unify for the 2006 season. "Band camp is how we got to know each other," Locke said. " YOLI spend all day with these people for three whole days. It enabled us to get a jump-start on [he season and build reladonships." -Jennifer Merrill Thundering Herd Row I: K.Qsme<1t.. A. Denton. K. Lemley, H. Pn.Jitt, L Bearden. K. Brown, N. Wilhite.T. Chittam.V. Mowll!r.l. Clem. J. leath. M. l ockwood. R.. McMahan. Row 2: LKirkham.j. Carbonneau, S.Yamell. j.Ward. C. Growns. N.White. K. Ullis.C.Withrow. Row l: S. Padgett. D. Hunt, R. Melton. R.locke,O.Lee,N. Dean. Row 4: H.Smith.H. Cowling.C. Hancock. G.Scott, K.Perkins, J. Berger.T. Horse, R. Brown, S.Vantine.A. Lee. Row 5: J.Wilhite.J.Andrews.J. Belcher. D. Edwards,] Dean. A. Mowrer,W. Hammes, B. Braswell.
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