DECATUR COUNTY, GA — Students and staff from Bainbridge High School's band program are heading to New York City to march in what organizers call the oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the world.
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Weeks of practice inside and outside the band room have been building toward this moment: 230 students, staff and parents hitting the road Friday to go to the Empire State.
The group will stop in Philadelphia along the way before continuing on to New York City, where students will explore Times Square, see a Broadway show, and attend a riverboat dinner before marching in the parade.
James Sewell, the Bainbridge High School Band Program director, says the community has played a central role in making the trip possible.
"This community really gets behind us in everything we do, not just these trips. They're always helping us. They're always doing things for us, and we do every bit that we can to pay them back for that," Sewell said.
Getting there took more than rehearsals. Students spent a year fundraising with help from local sponsors and community members who attended concerts and events to support the trip.
Student Isabella Esquivel says the effort was well worth it.
"I mean, it is a lot of hard work, and, of course, it will be challenging, and there will be obstacles, and you'll be busy, stressed maybe even, but it's really worth it. And to have the opportunity to explore such grand places like New York City and two years ago Washington, D.C., it's really worth it," Esquivel said.
Sewell says the outpouring of community pride has been a constant source of motivation.
"The support that comes out. I mean, we have, we'll get letters, we'll have people that will stop us on the street and just say how proud they are of the BAM program. And, you know, sometimes they want to thank me, and I was like, you know, we need to be thanking those students because those students and then their parents doing all, you know, everything they do, making all the sacrifices they make, that's what makes it happen," Sewell said.
This will mark the band's 19th national appearance, but their first time marching in New York. The parade will stream live Tuesday March 17 at 11:00 a.m.
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