senior band members Demetrius Cassaway, Sydney Peck and junior Kiyoko Nakano
During the home football game against St. Joseph Central High School Oct. 15, senior night was held for cheerleaders, Emeralds, Falcon Brigade and Diamonds.
Before the game started, the senior Emeralds were honored and escorted onto the field by their families.
“At the very end of the game I realized that I’m not going to get to dance at halftime again,” senior Marah Sipes said. “It was really sad.”
During halftime, the cheerleading seniors were honored the same way.
“I honestly didn’t feel that emotional about it, surprisingly, at first, but over the weekend it really hit me how much I love this team and how sad it was that it was our last home game,” Miller said. “It was cool that the juniors set up the gifts and the posters; it was really awesome.”
Also during halftime, the Brigade and Diamonds performed on the field as the seniors stepped out of their shoes leaving them in their places to be filled by future members and walked off the field.
“It was one of the last times we all got to play together in marching band, and it was a big part of high school for me,” senior Gabe Lozano. “It was a very emotional night for the senior band kids.”
*Not all seniors are represented in this photo essay.
Photos From The Night
senior Marah Sipes and family. (Cassie Ford) “I was mostly thinking about how much I would miss dancing on the field, just trying my hardest to take in every moment for the last time,” Sipes said.
senior Sofia Cascone, sophomore Isabella Cascone and family (Cassie Ford)
seniors Sofia Cascone, Marah Sipes and coaches Andrea Homes and Samantha Weiberg (Cassie Ford) “That senior night went by so fast and that I wish I would have been cherishing every moment up until then,” Sipes said.
senior cheerleader Molly Vavak and family (Cassie Ford) “The years really flew by,” Vavak said. “My teammates are some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and I am going to miss all of them so much.”
senior cheerleader Jordan Anderson and family (Cassie Ford)
senior cheerleader Mia Bonet and family (Cassie Ford)
senior cheerleader Hannah Moore and family. (Cassie Ford) “I was very emotional,” Moore said. “I was very happy but sad at the same time.”
senior cheerleader Eva Boone and family (Cassie Ford) “When I was walking down the field, I was thinking I can’t believe this is my last year I will be cheering, feeling excited to move on but sad at the same,” Boone said. “Senior night felt so special especially with all my teammates. They’re supporting and celebrating all of us.”
senior cheerleader Makenna Brayley and family (Cassie Ford) “It felt like yesterday I was a freshman just starting at Staley, but now I am a senior,” Brayley said. “Felt sad as I was walking across the field, thinking about how this is my last year, but I was also happy because I was surrounded by all the people I love.”
senior cheerleader Carson DuRall and family (Cassie Ford)
senior cheerleader Miranda Harris, coach Jenn Newman and family (Cassie Ford) “It was a bittersweet moment knowing that it was all going to be over soon and seeing all of the girls that I have cheered with since middle school walk across the field,” Harris said. “We have grown up together and watched each other succeed in all aspects of the sport so knowing that we were going to go our separate ways in a few short months was sad, but also very rewarding.”
senior cheerleader MaryPaige Miller, coach Jenn Newman and family (Cassie Ford)
senior cheerleader Kaci Needham and family (Cassie Ford) “I honestly was in disbelief,” Needham said. “I had been on the sidelines since freshman year and it was crazy that I was now the one walking across the field as a senior, but it felt pretty cool.”
senior Diamond Erin Smith and sophomore Keirra Reaves (Cassie Ford) “I’m just glad I got the opportunity to help teach other people and grow and get to be the captain of the team,” Smith said. “I feel like not only have I been able to help other people grow, which is amazing, but I have also gotten to grow a lot myself, and I understand some things more now that I never would’ve gotten to without this experience.
senior band member Joey Valenti and sophomore Aiden Brady (Cassie Ford)
senior baton twirler Hannah Wilson (Cassie Ford) “Senior night was a blast. It was one of my best performances of the season up to that point,” Wilson said. “All I could think about on senior night was that this could be the last football game I ever perform at, so I wanted to make it a good one.”
seniors band members Gage Moeckel and Josh Schmidtlein (Cassie Ford) “Senior night was the best night I have ever had during high school, and I’m going to miss marching band here at Staley,” Moeckel said. | “I was thinking to myself that this was close to the end of my high school marching season. That this was the end of marching band, that this was it,” Schmidtlein said.
senior band members Kyra Boyer, Elizabeth Dean and Elise Segers (Cassie Ford) “Honestly, I was trying not to cry, having been with most of these people for almost seven years,” Dean said. “The thought of that being our last home game, one of our last performances just made the whole event that much more meaningful. It was such an honor to watch my peers walk off that field, to have that moment with them, and be able to support each other as we now take our steps in different directions.” | “I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is really the end,’ and that it was crazy how much we’ve grown since my freshman year,” Boyer said. | “The student section this year has been really supportive, and senior night felt really cool to have people cheering for us as we were walking off of the field,” Segers said.
seniors band members Sydney Peck and Clare Simpson (Cassie Ford) “I was super honored and proud to be where I was,” Simpson said. “The support I felt through my friends and family was very uplifting, and I’m happy I decided to choose this activity to succeed in.”
senior band member Sydney Peck (Cassie Ford) “Throughout these experiences, you create bonds like no other with many individuals as you spend entire days with one another,” Peck said.
senior band member Elyse Seggers (Cassie Ford) “I was thinking many things,” Segers said. “I was worried that I was going to forget to take my shoes off and I was wondering when my name was going to be called. I started to get sad the closer that they got to calling my name because I have been in band for so long, and now marching band is over.”
seniors band member Sydney Peck and Emerald Sofia Cascone (Cassie Ford) “I was honestly so focused on playing the correct notes and trying to listen for my fellow classmates’ names,” Peck said. “It wasn’t until after I stepped past the white lines, I had realized what night it was. It felt like the other day I was a freshman playing the Alma Mater, sending my farewells to the seniors. Now, it was my turn to receive this recognition.”
senior band members Demetrius Cassaway, Sydney Peck and junior Kiyoko Nakano (Cassie Ford) “Throughout high school, I have been very committed to band, and it has been wonderful to see the activity become recognized this year,” Peck said.
Senior group photo of their feet together (Cassie Ford)
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