West Harrison High band to perform in the Rose Parade
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - The West Harrison Hurricanes call their band “The Pride of South Mississippi” and it is easy to see why. The band is set to represent the state in the Rose Parade come January. The group was officially invited on Saturday as Tournament of Roses President Laura Farber came out to watch the band perform.
Many students were excited to perform for tournament officials, including senior Jayson Anderson.
“The school is so young and the accomplishments that we have done. The school is not even 15 or 20 years old yet and this will be the second national parade that we will have done," said Anderson. "We are putting ourselves on the map, for our school and for Gulfport.”
The other parade Anderson mentioned was the Macy’s Day Parade two years ago in which the Hurricanes performed. Junior Liam Lanmon was there for that performance and recognizes the significance of the band’s accomplishments since.
“It is a blessing in a way. This is something that is not only going to be big to me, but big to everybody else," said Lanmon. "This is us passing on our legacy, in a way. This is going to be something that is remembered down through history.”
Tournament of Roses President Laura Farber was impressed with what she saw, especially since the school hasn’t existed for 20 years and is already at this level musically.
“What does that say about this band and the directors and the community and the support? It tells you how amazing this group is and how special they are," said Farber. "This is not something that is a common thing to be able to do in such a short time. It is because of the quality, the dedication, and the power of hope that they represent.”
The Rose Parade’s theme this year is of course “Hope”. While Farber believes the school to be a perfect representation of that, Band Director Tim Garrett is just happy that his students continue to improve each year.
“Every year the band is improving and getting better," said Farber. “Growing with quantity and quality. It is just good to see our students have opportunities like this.”
“It is just an honor because the school came from a big natural disaster so it is honestly just a story of triumph over tragedy," said senior Alexia Manganti.
The band will be the first from Mississippi to perform in the parade in the last 30 years, and one of only 16 selected worldwide.
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