04/04/2026
Decorative clothespins discretely placed on other students’ belongings. Thunderous applause and cheers. Hundreds of color guard performers from all over the St. Louis area pouring into the gym to watch. This sounds like the average winter guard competition, but it was something entirely different - and maybe the first of its kind.
A week and a half before their first competition of the season, the students of the Francis Howell North Winter Guard discovered that they no longer had a director. With such a short period of time between the sudden staff change and their upcoming performance, the previously excited group of performers received the heartbreaking confirmation that they could not compete in the 2026 winter season. This was devastating news for a group of kids that included multiple seniors - one of whom had been spinning before she even entered high school.
Instead of giving up, the students rallied to finish learning their show. Interim staff stepped in, the students assembled their own “look” using old costumes they found in a closet, and parents helped spread the word on Facebook about a one-night-only community performance.
On Friday night, the students faced a brand new challenge - performing for a packed house. Performers, directors, and community members from the St. Louis area lined the bleachers at Francis Howell North High School to show their support. After two run-throughs of their 2026 production entitled “The Show Must Go On”, the students who persevered through a supposedly impossible season were met with an immediate standing ovation.
The Timberland High School Winter Guard passed out bouquets of flowers. Students from dozens of St. Louis area high schools gathered on the floor for a group picture. Long after the performance concluded, kids of all different color guard backgrounds could be seen spinning equipment and practicing with one another.
Despite all of the hardships that this season brought to the Francis Howell North Winter Guard, senior performer Greta S. had one lingering message for the crowd: “Join Color Guard”.
Photos by Sam Mohler
