Dana Middle School Marching Band & Drill Team (photo: John Mattera)
by Joshua Stecker
"It's the room with all the trophies." That's what a teacher told me when I asked which room was the band room. "Trophies. Can't miss it." Navigating Dana Middle School is hard if you've rarely stepped foot in there, like me. Since I'm not a Dana alumnus, I had to ask for directions in order to make it on time for my interview with Dana's marching band director, Efrain Nava. I had never met Mr. Nava prior to this moment, but I sure heard a lot about him. In my near decade of publishing San Pedro Today, I've probably been pitched to do a story on Dana's marching band program more than any other topic. And it was never by Mr. Nava himself; it was always by a parent who had a child in the program. For whatever reason, those pitches never stuck until now. "Hey, how are you? Do you want a bottle of water or anything?" Nava asks as I stumble into the band room. For some reason, I pictured him a lot older. For being 41, he hides his age with a youthful vigor. With his close-cropped black hair and boyish looks, you'd never know he's been leading the Dana Middle School Marching Band for 17 years.
MAY 2016 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I 19
Dana Middle School Marching Band, led by Efrain Nava, continues to rack up trophies, but what they really need are new uniforms. Will the community step up?