EAGLE POINT, OR. — December 2023 marks the 82nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
A local high school band got to fly to Hawaii and be part of the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade.
60 students from the Eagle Point High School band spent almost a week in Oahu.
No other group or organization from Oregon was there, so the band represented the entire state.
Students got to learn from the marine band through workshops and perform on the U.S.S. Missouri.
The principal said this was Eagle Point’s first year being part of the parade.
The enormous help from donors, the school district and other community members made this trip possible.
“They did an enormous amount of fundraising,” said principal Heather Marinucci. “The community came behind them and said absolutely, we believe in you, this is an excellent opportunity, we want you to have this.”
And for the students, it was an experience all of them will never forget.
“Our school is not as well known for extra curriculars like this,” said senior Jeremiah Cordle. “It was great to go and represent our state in an event that means a lot to natives and people across the U.S.”
“I got to go up on stage with the marines and play a solo on two tombs that were up there,” said junior Alice Rebelo. “It was really awesome.”
“It was just an amazing opportunity for me because I haven’t been in band for very long,” said junior Lily Lydic. “I just started this year, and I didn’t think it was possible for me to go but it was.”
Cordle said the Eagle Point band has done nothing like this before and he’s proud to see how much the band has grown in his four years in school.
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