High School Band Commemorates Russian Communism

October 3, 2012 by Bryan Nash


A high school marching band in Pennsylvania gave a nod to Russian communism. The New Oxford High School Marching Band put on a halftime show that shocked the crowd at a football game on Sept. 14.

The band marched onto the field, adorned with red flags, olive military uniforms, hammers and sickles. An upset parent told Fox News about the show.

“There is no reason for Americans to celebrate the Russian revolution,” said the concerned parent. “I am sure the millions who died under Communism would not see the joy of celebrating the Russian revolution by a school 10 miles from Gettysburg.

It was ‘Glee’ meets the Russian Revolution. I’m not kidding you. They had giant hammers and sickles and they were waving them around.”

Rebecca Harbaugh, the superintendent for the Conewago Valley School District, said that the show was not an endorsement of communism.

“It’s a representation of the time period in history called St. Petersburg 1917,” she said. “I am truly sorry that somebody took the performance in that manner. I am.”
Since the controversy, the band has changed the performance by removing the hammers and sickles and featuring fewer historical events prior to the Russian revolution.

However, the Russian backdrop and olive uniforms remain.

Many parents support the initial show, noting that the band should be artistic.
“Our school is very artistic,” said one advocate. “People need to listen to the music more.”

High School Band Commemorates Russian Communism : Personal Liberty Digest™