{"id":233722,"date":"2026-07-02T12:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/233722\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T12:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:42:10","slug":"it-means-so-so-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/233722\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It means so, so much\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – As Americans celebrate the country\u2019s 250th anniversary, members of the Claiborne High School band are gaining lifelong memories. They have been invited to play at the Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really exciting. It\u2019s a little nerve-wracking as well. I mean, but it\u2019s really exciting. Once in a lifetime,\u201d said Hilia, who plays French horn and mellophone. <\/p>\n

The event\u2019s website called the parade the \u201clargest professionally produced Semiquincentennial (250th) celebration parade in the nation\u201d and said it includes 250 bands, floats and more representing all 50 states and U.S. territories. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud of everybody in the band. They\u2019ve all come a long way to get here into this moment.\u201d said Zach, who plays bass drum and flute. <\/p>\n

The band left Thursday morning and will march in one parade Friday and another on Saturday. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a huge honor for our little high school to be chosen to do this in front of millions of people,\u201d said Whitney, the drum major. \u201cIt really showed that all our hard work paid off over this year. We definitely improved a whole lot. I think it\u2019s good that we\u2019re getting new opportunities and that we can expand into other regions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The staff and students said the opportunity to participate in the parades is an honor. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not in our little pep band anymore and we can do cool things,\u201d said Lydia, who is in the color guard.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also proof of the group\u2019s hard work. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re invited out to more places like going to Philadelphia. We\u2019re invited to way more parades, memorials, stuff like that,\u201d said Noah, who plays baritone. <\/p>\n

The opportunity is also a chance for band members and staff to perform on a national and international stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father served in the Air Force. So I\u2019m very proud of this country. I take pride in a lot of things that go on here. You know, it\u2019s very special to me,\u201d said Michael Bloomer, the assistant band director at Claiborne High School. \u201cAnd not only that, but to be here doing this on the 250th, and while the World Cup is going on, we get to, you know, present ourselves in front of multiple nations. It\u2019s truly an awesome experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"wvlt\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For Band Director Caleb Howard said teaching these students is a labor of love. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy high school band really helped me get through high school, and I had a lot of fantastic mentors and teachers along the way,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I want to be able to be that for one of those kids, because if it wasn\u2019t for my high school band program, I probably wouldn\u2019t be standing here today. I wouldn\u2019t have graduated high school. And if I can help one of these kids do the same thing and get through high school and find something that is an emotional release for them that is a coping mechanism, it\u2019s something that, you know, overall, they just enjoy. If I can do that, then I have done my job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard said he hopes this trip creates lifelong memories for the students. <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that they look back on this and understand what a big milestone it is for our country to have been here 250 years and to help represent our area in one of the founding cities of the United States,\u201d Howard said.<\/p>\n

The students say they\u2019re looking forward to the trip and the chance to get a Philly cheesesteak, but they also know how much of an honor this is. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt means so, so much to be able to represent our great state of Tennessee in the 250 national parade,\u201d Whitney said. <\/p>\n

The students haven\u2019t had to pay a dime to go on this trip because of fundraising help from the community.<\/p>\n

\u2018When we announced that, hey, Claiborne, our band, this community here in East Tennessee is going to represent the state of Tennessee, not only for our nation, but for the world here, it was very easy to have fundraising happen,” said Bloomer.<\/p>\n

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