SHS Marching Band Approved for Fiesta Bowl Trip

Marching Band will once again present their talents on a national stage next year.

On Tuesday night the School Board voted 4-0 to allow the band to participate in the Fiesta Bowl Parade and the National Band Championships in Phoenix, Ariz. The tentative dates for the trip are Dec. 28, 2012 through Jan. 2, 2013.

Band director Marty Claussen said he'd been notified by the Fiesta Bowl Parade Committee last week of the invitation to participate. While the School Board was meeting, Claussen said there were "nervous kids" practicing out on the football field knowing the board would have the ultimate say on a green light for the trip.

"They know where I'm at and they know why I'm here," Claussen said.

For their part, the board had no trepidation regarding the trip.

"You're represented us well before and we expect you'll do so again," School Board Chair Peter Morgan said.

Claussen said the trip will include the competition at University of Phoenix Stadium, where the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League play their home games, as well as the parade, plus opportunities for visiting the Grand Canyon and trail riding in Sedona.

A rough estimate of the cost of the trip is $1,400 to $1,500 per student at this time, Claussen said. Claussen said over $100,000 has been raised each of the last three years for the band and he expects them to go over $100,000 again this year.

SAU 57 Superintendent Michael Delahanty said the band has participated in the Fiesta Bowl parade within the last five years and has also appeared in the Rose Bowl Parade, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and at Walt Disney World in recent years.

"They're a very accomplished group," he said. "They're a very well-coordinated organization."