Second Baptist School held their annual Eagle Fest Celebration on April 11, 2014, which includes an all-school parade, field day, lunch, carnival, and silent auction.
The celebration includes many traditions including the blue/gold competition, the seniors holding the hands of Pre-Kindergarten and Bridge students to end the parade. The lighting of the Eagle Fest torch, the Prayer of a Sportsman and the singing of the Eagle Fight Song would conclude the ceremony.
Starting around 10:15am the different grade levels started lining up for the procession. The first students in the procession were the kindergarteners, followed by the first graders ECT… A banner with a name of God preceded the different grade levels and was held by two of the best students in the class.
Holding true to the traditions in years past, SBS hired Houston Bagpiper to lead the different classes on to the field for their opening ceremonies. At 10:30am I started playing "Scotland the Brave" and lead the procession to the field. I stopped playing when I reached an inflatable tunnel. As the kindergarteners entered the field, the announcer recognized the achievements of the students holding the banner, talked about the teacher and the sponsors for the grade level. When they were in place, the first graders were the next to enter onto the field. This continued until the 11th graders were in place.
After the 11th grade was announced and in place, I lead the seniors and pre-K students onto the field playing "Amazing Grace" and stopped when the students got into their place for the opening activities. I ended up playing "Amazing Grace" 4 times through. After I stopped, they continued with the lighting of the torch, prayers, the pledge of allegiance, and the Star Spangles Banner. At the conclusion of the event, the kids had a fun filled afternoon of carnival games, waterslides, face painting, and many other things.
Fortunately this was a beautiful day to play the bagpipes. Last year was pretty cold at this time. I always enjoy playing for this school because of the fun atmosphere at the school. I look forward to playing again next year should the opportunity come up.
