New Band Director Picks Up the Baton for Peninsula

The Peninsula High School marching band has already been gearing up for another busy season. About 80 students have been spending 12 to 13 hours for the past week and a half learning the music and memorizing the steps to their marching formation. 

In addition to about 25 incoming freshmen, the band is also welcoming its new director, Justin Ehli. He will be replacing Rickey Badua, who left PHS after four years to continue his education at the University of Georgia.

Before landing the new gig at the , Ehli taught choir in the Tacoma Public School District. The 24-year-old instructor, who attended the University of Puget Sound with Badua, said he is familiar with the school's program.

"The program has taken leaps and bounds over the past four years and really improved and grown a lot," Ehli said. "I knew that they would be good kids, willing to work hard and have a lot of drive to succeed. That's what I've seen so far."

The band is set to perform its new field show in front of friends and family tonight (Saturday, Aug. 13) at the Roy Anderson Field at 7 p.m.