TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Students from across the county got into the spirit of Coachella Friday evening at Lincoln High School for longstanding, charitable tradition.
This was the 7th year the Lincoln High Student Government Association has hosted the annual Battle of the Bands. Each year, student bands from around the county participate in the event but this year was a little unique.
Local musicians performed with the students throughout the evening including bands such as Brightside, Royce Lovett, the Heather Gillis Band and the Brown Goose.
Students and faculty are hoping that this year they will raise over $16,000 for the Tallahassee Memorial Foundation Heart and Vascular Center, bringing the grand total to $75,000 donated since the event first began.
Pat Jones is a Lincoln High School teacher and is the faculty sponsor for the SGA. Jones says his students really put in the work to make the event happen.
"The students have talked to local businesses to try to get them involved... They have contacted musicians for actual bands, they worked with the students to get the students acts," Jones says the students did it all.
Taylor Hall, the 2015-2016 Student Body President, says she is glad she was able to help put on the event and raise money for the center, "It's very important that we pay attention to things like this because a lot of people use the TMH heart and vascular center..."
The work that students have put into the fundraisers is being recognized by those it is going to help. Aaron Kinnon, Director of Development for the TMH Foundation, says because of the donated money, there is a wing at the heart and vascular center named after the school.
"It's really exciting because Tallahassee is a great community and the community really is involved," said Kinnon. "But, to see the young people coming up and their efforts and philanthorpy, raising money for the community... it's fantastic to see it happen."
And participants and performers are making it a tradition to come back again and again. Mara Bernstein, a student at Lincoln, played with the Dirty Foot Band. Bernstein says she rapped with her friend last year, "We were like, let's start an actual band. So we started a real band and we came."
Even though Bernstein started the group just to perform at Battle of the Bands, she says they are planning to keep performing together.
She wasn't the only repeated performer though. Connor Holcombe of the local band Brightside, was a student at Lincoln during the first Battle of the Bands and performed then as well.
And as long as students and alum like Bernstein and Holcombe keep returning to participate, this annual event can continue to battle it out for years to come.
