Two Small-Town Michigan High Schools Have Captured a Nation [VIDEO]

Forest Area High School and Glen Lake High School came together under the lights, and magic happened. This is what America should be about. I'm so proud of my alma mater.

Whenever I get asked where I'm from, I always say that I'm from Traverse City, Michigan. Not, that I'm embarrassed of my small home town. It's just that it's SO tiny, that if you blink, you'd miss it. Everybody has heard of Traverse City, so it's just easier and close enough.

After this week, that won't be the case anymore. Forest Area High School is composed of students from South Boardman, where I lived and Fife Lake, where I hung out. It's a small school, but was even smaller when I attended in the late 70's and 80's. We never had a football team back then. There were never enough players to support it. Forest Area offered many other sports, but we had to go to Kalkaska, which is a neighboring city, if we wanted to take in a football game.

As the school attendance grew over the years, it was inevitable that a football program would be added. It was exciting to learn, that finally the Warriors would be playing under the lights. I loved following the team, because many players were family members. But, that all changed on September 16th, 2019. The school cancelled the football program for the remainder of the season, due to low player participation and safety concerns. Just like that, the football season was over. Who knows if or when it will ever be back again.

Flash forward to Friday, September 27th, 2019. My social media page lit up over the last two days, with family, friends and alumni talking about something wonderful that happened on Friday night at the Glen Lake football game.

Here's where it gets good between "the two small schools that could." Glen Lake High School has a football program, but no band. They heard about Forest Area High School cancelling their football season. The call was made and the rest is history. The FA Marching Band even learned the Glen Lake Fight Song on sight. This my friend, is what America should be about.

Brandon Deike is the music director and teacher at Forest Area. What a life changing decision for Brandon and his students. They'll remember that moment for the rest of their lives. Now, it's on. Everyone is trying to get Ellen to pick up the story. I'm a HUGE fan of her show and this story is made for her talk show. The marching band at this small school is hanging by a thread. Literally. Old uniforms and even older instruments. Many times throughout the years, it was in question if the program would even continue, because of funding. I don't know why Glen Lake doesn't have a marching band, but these are real "small school" problems. Can you imagine what these schools could accomplish with a little hand up? Oh my!

The story has went totally viral. It's been picked up by the Associated Press, CNN, the Detroit Free Press, Miami Herald and all media outlets in between.

SOURCE: Rachael Schuit / UpNorthLive

And, yes. I played clarinet and saxophone in the Forest Area Marching Band for years, until I hung up my instrument after the 9th Grade!

1981 - 2nd Row - Sweater tied around neck. It looks like we even won a trophy in my final year with the marching band.