UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Students from Weddington High School in Union County will be headed to Hawaii this December to help honor veterans, if they can raise the money to get there.
What You Need To Know
Weddington High School is hoping to send 87 band members to Hawaii in December
The band needs to raise roughly $280,000 to make the trip
Weddington High School will represent the state in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade and other events
This year, Weddington’s high school marching band was nominated by a local veteran to serve as North Carolina’s representative in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade and other ceremonies.
The band’s director, Mallory Norton, said the honor was a surprise, as she had no idea a local veteran had nominated the group last year. Norton said she was able to tell the students about the trip at their winter concert in December 2021.
“It’s a massive honor,” Norton said, “It’s a pretty amazing thing. And to be able to get the kids— this is my first time in Hawaii, and it’s definitely going to be their first time too, so to be able to give them that sort of experience is really, really special.”
Roughly 87 band members will make the trip, Norton hopes, if they can raise the $3,000 per student to get them there. So far, funds are coming in but the end goal of more than $260,000 raised is still a ways away.
“Not close,” Norton said with a laugh.
In total, the high school needs $273,000 to make the trip, since they need $3,000 for each student, and an additional $12,000 for staff chaperone.
So, the kids and Norton are getting to work.
“We’re doing a couple fundraising drives. We have a couple of spirit nights coming out, which you can find on the band website. We will also be doing concessions at the Coca-Cola 600. We have a couple of corporate sponsorship forms that are also available on our website. We will be doing a sponsor-a-veteran drive, where if you have a local veteran who you want to donate a couple dollars for, we’ll put their name on the back of the shirt we actually wear for the parade,” Norton explained during a break at a band practice this month.
If they cannot raise all the money, Norton said there would be tough discussions in the future about what to do with the trip and who attends, but she said it remains a distant worry.
“We have a very supportive community, so I know we’d be able to make that happen for them,” Norton added.
Among the students, excitement is building for what some said would be their first trip to Hawaii, and the opportunity to perform at events honoring the nation’s war heroes from World War II.
“We were all sitting here on this same stage, with our parents in the audience and everyone here, and before our final piece she said, ‘We’ve been nominated to go to Hawaii,” said assistant drum major and rising junior, Vivienne Trifiletti.
Trifiletti, who plays the flute, said the shock soon turned to excitement.
“All of our reactions were like, ‘Oh my goodness!’ It’s very exciting and I can’t wait,” Trifiletti said.
With her flute laid across her lap, Trifiletti said she plans to go to college and become a nurse, while minoring in music. She’s been playing since she started band in the 4th grade, realizing her love of the flute had ties back home at playtime.
She and 86 other classmates are looking forward to several days in Hawaii, where they’ll keep a tight performance and sightseeing schedule.
“I still can’t believe it sometimes. I don’t think I’m gonna believe it till I’m on the plane to actually go there,” Trifiletti said with a smile.
With Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on December 7, the band will be in Hawaii from December 4 through December 9. The multi-day program includes a performance on the USS Missouri, marching in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade on the evening of December 7 and several other tours and cultural experiences. This year’s ceremonies commemorate the 80th anniversary of WWII, according to the event program.
Back home in North Carolina, the band’s drum major and rising senior, Joely Martin, said she still cannot believe they were picked.
“Just amazed that we were able to be picked to represent the entire state of North Carolina. I thought it was really cool,” Martin said during a break in rehearsal.
Martin, who’s played the clarinet for seven years, said she loves her time in the band and the connections she’s made with friends.
“I just like the community that comes with it and being able to be a part of a group that helps each other and everybody else around them,” Martin said.
Their selection for this honor comes at a great time for the band, after Martin said they came back to play together after the COVID-19 pandemic left them on a longer than anticipated pause.
“I think this past year especially, it was difficult to get back into the works just because of how long of a break everyone had. But I think that’s what made it all the more special,” Martin explained.
Not to mention, it’ll be a high note for her senior year.
“I think it’s the best way possible that I could’ve imagined— that I didn’t even think would’ve happened. It’s definitely a very cool experience and I can’t wait,” Martin said about her and her fellow seniors’ going out with this trip under their belts.
The band is accepting donations, here.