Saugus HS band prepares for Memorial Day performance in DC

Saugus HS band heads to DC for Memorial Day

The Saugus High School Band will be performing at the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., just days before some of the band members graduate.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - The Saugus High School Marching Band has been invited to Washington, D.C., this Memorial Day Weekend to march at the National Memorial Day Parade. It's an amazing accomplishment just to be invited, and to the band members who are heading out this weekend, it's awe-inspiring.

Some of the band members were freshmen back in 2019, when a student shot five classmates, killing two, before shooting and killing himself. Those same students were then evacuated in 2020 during the Calgrove Fire. Then the COVID pandemic, during which band members could only practice and perform virtually.

"I was standing right in this room in 2019," said one student. All she had to say is the year, and it's obvious what she was talking about. That day is seared into the students' memories. She credited the band for bringing her back from the emotional nightmare that kept her from even picking up an instrument, let alone stand in the room comfortably, for a long time.

And she's not the only one. The band has clearly played a critical role in helping students do more than survive, but thrive. They were invited to Washington because they're a good band, but they're a good band because they're strong and inspiring young people.

The band heads to Washington on Saturday for the parade on Monday, then they return straight away so that the seniors can be back in time for graduation on Wednesday.

Congrats to the Saugus High School Marching Band and the graduating seniors, for being so inspiring.

More on the band can be found on their Instagram page.