Homecoming has always been a very exciting day for me – especially since I joined the marching band. Our marching band has a long-standing tradition of performing at all of the elementary schools before marching in the parade. It is always a great experience interacting with the young children. We also get to miss an entire day of classes, which is never a bad thing. We all arrived in the band room around eight. After receiving instructions, we gathered our instruments and loaded the bus to head to Smithville Elementary School, the school that houses the lowest grades. My friend and I grabbed a seat on the back of the bus and went on with our conversation as usual. Everything seemed completely normal at this point. We typically perform outside …show more content…
All of the schools were on lockdown, so we were all stuck in the band room. The band room is usually an exciting place to be. Always filled with music and laughter, but after everything that happened, you could hear a pin drop. The band parents bought everyone pizza in an attempt to lighten the mood, but no one really felt up to eating. I have never been in such a tense situation before. After two hours of sitting in near silence, we were relieved to hear that the bomb threat had been a hoax. Everyone simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. Even though there was never any real danger, the rest of the homecoming activities -excluding the parade and game, were cancelled. Everyone was exhausted and still reeling from the fear that they had felt an hour earlier when we loaded the bus to head to the town square. We marched apathetically around the town and played pep-less pep tunes. Everyone dreaded the football game. We honestly wished that it would have been cancelled. No one felt too comfortable at the game, especially since it was packed to the brim that night. Everyone was still on edge. Even though there was never an actual threat to our safety, this event still managed to change my life. It made me realize that things can happen in the blink of an eye and that we never know when the last time we see a loved one will be