RHS students who attended home football games and band competitions in the fall may have seen the Randolph Marching Rams form the shape of a giant “M” on Bauer Field, but these same spectators may not have known the significance of the letter.
The special “M” formation, which the marching band created for every fall game and band competition, was a heartfelt and moving tribute to the late RHS student Matthew “Matt” Augustine. Matt spent his freshman year in the marching band’s percussion section and lost his battle with a long-term illness the following summer, on July 7, 2023.
“He was a really nice kid,” said RHS senior Grace Augustine, Matt’s older sister. “Even though he couldn’t really do the same things other people could, he always tried his best to be a normal high schooler.”
Matt was part of the front ensemble in the Marching Rams, playing instruments such as the xylophone, triangle and cowbell during games and competitions. His energy in the stands and on the field was infectious.
The entire marching band season, which ended on Nov. 6, was dedicated to Matt. Each Marching Ram received a blue and green pin for their uniform along with a bracelet engraved with his initials to wear during competitions and games.
RHS senior percussionist Ben Herring wrote this year’s cadence in Matt’s memory. Titled “Legends Live On (Matthew’s Groove),” the band played and marched to it as the RHS football team’s introduction song.
“There was something about Matt that I didn’t see in anyone else, and not just because he was a good percussionist,” Herring said. “When I first met Matt, I didn’t see what other people saw; I saw a kid who wasn’t going to let anything or anyone get in his way of going through his life.
On the first day of marching band camp this past August, a month after Matt’s passing, Mr. and Mrs. Augustine donated cans of Mountain Dew, Matt’s favorite drink, for the band members to enjoy. After the Augustines had told everybody about Matt’s love of marching band, the band students toasted to his life.
“He did have fun when he was at school,” his sister Grace noted. “He had friends in the band. He liked video games a lot, and a lot of people say he was always very happy.”
The Marching Rams dedicated their 2023 show, “Through the Ages” to Matt. “Matt’s tenacity and can-do attitude is what every Marching Ram should strive for,” Band Director Nicholas Fantazzi said. “His memory will live on through our band for years to come.”
