Jaguar band to play in Hawaii

Next year during spring break, some Blue Springs South High School students will not be in Missouri, but on their way to Hawaii.
The Blue Springs South Jaguar Pride Marching Band will perform in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, sponsored by Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of Hawaii, in Honolulu. The band will also perform on the battleship USS Missouri.
South applied to participate in the parade and was selected by the parade committee.
Band director Melissia Goff said the students are excited about the trip and are busy making preparations. The expense of the trip is not paid for by the school district, but on students and their parents.
“This is a major undertaking,” said Goff, who declined to say how much money needed to be raised to fund the entire band trip. “We currently have five fundraising events planned for the upcoming months. Our goal is for the students to be able to raise as much money as possible.”
The parade not only includes marching bands, but also bagpipers, floats and Sons and Daughters of Ireland. Members of the Jaguar Pride will have the opportunity to spend part of their time at a memorial for the USS Arizona, one of seven battleships tied along Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor when the first wave of Japanese planes attacked. The Arizona was hit by an armor-piercing bomb that penetrated its deck and ignited the forward ammunition magazine.
There will also be a tour of the “Mighty Mo,” which was first launched in 1944. World War II came to an end on what is known as the Surrender Deck.
Goff said the trip is a “wonderful opportunity” for all of the students and staff at Blue Springs South.
“They will have an opportunity to learn about the culture and history of Hawaii,” she said. “For many students, this might be the first time they have been on a plane. For others, this will be the first time they have traveled outside the continental United States. For most of them, this will probably be the only time they will ever get to perform in Hawaii.”
The Blue Springs South Jaguar Pride typically goes on a large trip every two years. The last trip for the band members was in December 2007 when the group went to Orlando, Fla.