CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) — The Clovis High School Band is heading to Pasadena.<\/p>\n
They were selected as one of five high schools to take part in the 2027 Rose Parade.<\/p>\n
Day in and day out, the Clovis High band works to ensure it can put on a great show.<\/p>\n
They’re led by Instrumental Music Program Director Esmeralda Rocha Lozano.<\/p>\n
On her office wall, right next to where students practice, are monumental moments the band had prior to her arrival.<\/p>\n
That includes performing in the Rose Parade. It was that picture that sparked a dream.<\/p>\n
“1986 is the last time the band went to the Rose Parade, and I thought, how awesome if we could do a 40th anniversary, and my goal would be 2026?” Rocha Lozano said.<\/p>\n
So in 2020, she quietly started applying in hopes of the band making a Rose Parade return.<\/p>\n
Year after year, she would get further in the process, but was always rejected.<\/p>\n
The last time she applied, she tried something new and included band members in the video application.<\/p>\n
Then, this August, she got the call.<\/p>\n
“They just said, ‘Well, we have a big question to ask you.’ You know, ‘Will you, you know, be honored to march in the 2027 Rose Parade?’ And then, you know, of course, I started to cry.” Rocha Lozano said.<\/p>\n
Clovis High was one of five high school bands selected.<\/p>\n
Once it was official, it was time to tell the students, but Rocha Lozano wanted to find the perfect moment.<\/p>\n
She kept it to herself for months. Then, during a home football game in October, the special announcement was made on the big screen, right as the band finished performing.<\/p>\n
The students – still on the field – had various reactions.<\/p>\n
“I was just like, surprised we actually made it, you know, like something that big,” Freshman Adam Ramirez said.<\/p>\n
“We were like, we were just all so excited. I remember looking around and seeing people like, shocked. Some people were like, jumping around and screaming and stuff,” Junior Kendra Sharpe said.<\/p>\n
The band has about a year to prepare ahead of the 2027 Rose Parade, 41 years since Clovis High was last there.<\/p>\n
Seniors who graduate in the spring will be invited to return and take part.<\/p>\n
Rocha Lozano has no doubt the band is going to stand out.<\/p>\n
“These band members have a grit and a tenacity to them that they will do anything to make sure that Clovis High, the City of Clovis and the Central Valley are so well represented,” Lozano said.<\/p>\n
The group will be working on fundraising for the next year to ensure every student has the opportunity to go.<\/p>\n
The cost will be about $1,500 per student.<\/p>\n
You can make a donation to support their trip by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n For news updates, follow Jessica Harrington on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n