On February 29, the North Hills middle and high school jazz bands brought Mardi Gras to life.

Mardi Gras is a night of food, music, and celebration brought to North Hills by the middle school and high school jazz bands. The annual event was hosted on February 29, 2020 in the North Hills High School gym at 5 p.m., with the music starting at 6 p.m. The high school jazz bands 1 and 2 as well as the middle school jazz band provided music all night. Just by attending the Mardi Gras celebration, you can help the North Hills music department raise funds for upcoming district-wide musical programs such as performances and trips. It’s a great and enjoyable way to support students of the community.

The jazz bands have been practicing and preparing all year for the celebration: “…from day one. It’s a lot of music and time and fine details that need to be perfected to make the music how we want it,” says percussionist Dan Rossmiller. The three jazz bands played on rotation starting from 6 until the conclusion, around 9 p.m. 

The experience was enjoyable for both players and watchers alike. Event-goers could participate in a basket raffle, silent auction, 50/50 drawing, photo booth, craft table, and all-you-can-eat pie. Junior Mira Schwadron explains that “…it was a great way to interact with friends and listen to music. And the all-you-can-eat pie is pretty hard to beat”.

The gym was full of people- students, family, and people from the district- who came to take part in the celebration and enjoy both the music and food. Junior Saffron White says she loved being able to hang out with friends and listen to the great jazz music. Abby Kraus says that she liked that “the whole community came; there were so many people! It’s great to see that we can all bond over some fun music and pie”.