JERICHO, Vt. (WCAX) – High schoolers from Vermont will travel to California with the New England Honor Band to represent our region in the Rose Parade.
Students at Mount Mansfield Union High School in Jericho are getting ready for the performance of a lifetime. They will march in the Tournament of the Roses in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 1.
“These things only happen, like, once in a lifetime,” said Abrum Alexander, a student at Mount Mansfield Union High School.
“I do think we’re ready,” said Megan Peterson, a student at Mount Mansfield Union High School.
Seven students representing the state of Vermont will come together with groups from other New England states to form the first-ever New England Honor Band. They will play alongside other bands from across the world at the time-honored Rose Parade.
“We’re marching alongside, like, the U.S. Marine band, so it’s a bit intimidating but it’s awesome to be in that group, to be able to march down TV corner with the rest of them,” said Brady Gouse, a student at Mount Mansfield Union High School.
The students say they’ve been preparing for this for months and that practice has gone beyond just playing their instruments.
“I’ve been getting on a treadmill, just walking consistently to get steps in to make sure I’m ready endurance-wise,” said Taggar Ackerman, a student at Mount Mansfield Union High School.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity isn’t the only thing on their plates.
“I’m taking multiple [advanced placement] classes, and I know other people in this group are. And just juggling being a student, being a human being, and playing sports, and this amazing opportunity, it’s just… it’s a lot to carry but I know it’s going to pan out in the best way possible,” said Tessa Nowell, a student at Mount Mansfield Union High School.
Despite the challenges that come with being a teen, these students say they are ready to bring their best from one coast to the other.