SHS Marching Band and Colorguard Cap Perfect Season with Second Straight NESBA State Championship
SHS Marching Band, Colorguard record fifth sweep, second major title in as many weeks
SALEM (Nov. 4, 2025) – There were sirens ringing and blue lights flashing around two Salem Public School buses and a large red truck in the early evening Sunday, but folks needn’t have worried.
The police escort was for the Salem High School Marching Band and Colorguard, returning from capturing the New England School Band Association (NESBA) Division 4 State Championship – its second straight state title – Sunday at Lawrence High School.
State champions receive police escorts – a tradition in many school communities across the country.
The state championship capped a perfect fall season for the marching band and colorguard. Led by Band Director and Music Educator Ben Chertok, the SHS Marching Band swept its previous five competitions this season – including last week’s Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) state championship – by scoring the highest in four categories: visual performance, music, percussion and colorguard.
“We’ve had really strong rehearsals all season,” said Mr. Chertok, in his 20th year at Salem Public Schools. “The kids are taking risks and trying different things. I love that they trust each other and the staff and that level of trust is paying off for all parties. The work ethic of the kids and the routines was very consistent and definitely a driving factor.
“We picked a show we thought the kids would excel at, designed it with them in mind and they did the rest,” Mr. Chertok added.
Having won the NESBA Division 3 championship last year, SHS was re-categorized to Division 4 due to the size of its marching band and colorguard.
Its performance, titled ‘The Well,’ based on the concept of making one wish, opens with the African-American spiritual “Wade in the Water,” followed by the Paul Simon–Art Garfunkel classic “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and closes with Coldplay’s “Fix You.”
“Wade in the Water” featured solos by senior clarinetist Camryn Franklin and junior trumpeter Ethan Roses while “Bridge Over Troubled Water” featured a solo from junior trombone player James Chesley.
SHS opened the year with consecutive NESBA competition wins at Melrose H.S. (Sept. 27) and North Reading (Oct. 4) and moved on to record its third and fourth sweeps of the fall at Wakefield H.S. (Oct. 18) and Reading H.S. (Oct. 25).
At the MICCA state championship, the SHS Marching Band gave a five star performance – visual, music, percussion, colorguard and overall band performance – Oct. 26 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, its second competition in as many days.
“As a senior, I’ve dedicated five years of my life to the Salem High School marching band,” said senior Em Clark, a senior drum major who played clarinet their first three years. “It’s indescribable how good it feels to see how our hard work pays off, especially as a longstanding member of the band who has gotten to see it grow over the years.
“The talent in our organization no doubt comes from the strength of our community,” they added. “We have incredible staff working with us constantly, but it would mean nothing if we didn’t already have a powerful foundation.”
Waskelly Veloz-Pena, a senior percussion captain, and Marching Band President Lucas Fox, also a senior, credited the program’s culture of unity and commitment to mentorship. As grateful as they are to exit SHS with another NESBA title, they are committed to passing on the tools and wisdom to the underclass musicians.
“We put in so many hours together, early mornings, long rehearsals, and late nights, and to see it all payoff is amazing,” Mr. Veloz-Pena said. “Since it’s my last year, I really tried to make connections with everyone, especially the rookies and returning members in my section. Seeing them so happy with their medals made me even prouder than getting my own.”
Said Mr. Fox: “I think the results from this season show how hard all of the students have worked this year, and I think that all of the veteran members of the group have made it their mission to help lead and teach the underclassmen. I also praise the underclassmen’s dedication to learning and improving and I really think that’s what gave us such a good season.”
The sentiment is not lost on their leader.
“We have a band of kids coming through this program who are carrying traditions and legacies and they’re just growing,” Mr. Chertok said. “There is a lot of mutual trust. We trust them to do their job, practice and learn what they need to learn and know that we are going to guide them.”
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.
