The alumnae of the Varsity Drill Team from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s performed on Friday night to celebrate the 40th Annual Variety Show.

“I’ve seen people I haven’t seen in 25 years. All of the former varsity coaches are here and people all the way back to the 1970s,” said English teacher and former Drill Team member Beth Moritz. “The preforming part is fun, but the reconnecting has been great.”

Moritz graduate in 1989 and was a part of the Drill Team all four years of high school. She was a junior the first time Drill Team went to nationals and when she was a senior, the team won Nationals for the first time.

“It was pretty amazing to hear ‘First Place, from St. Louis, Missouri, Pattonville Varsity Drill Team,'” Moritz said. “And to see ourselves on ESPN was surreal.”

Moritz adds that the bond between the dancers hasn’t faded too much.

“That fact that we have been able to stay together and stay connected all these years and that Coach Katie [Funderburk] continues to build on the traditions that were present even in the 1970s is an amazing testament to the program.”

English teacher Vann Hahn was also a part of the drill team in the 70s. She was a part of the squad that had about 36 members.

“Going to camp was always fun,” Hahn said. “We went to what is now Missouri State and stayed with girls from all over the country, which was fun.”

One of her favorite memories was performing at the football games and basketball games.

“We didn’t have a lot of competitions back then,” Hahn said. “There was no such thing as Nationals or going to Florida.”

Hahn said she hasn’t seen some of the girls in about 25 years and that this performance is kind of like a mini reunion.

“The fact we can still go out there and still do it and just really have a good time is the main thing.”

Check out a slideshow from the performance by clicking here and click here to watch the full alumnae performance.