MOUNT HOREB, Wis. (WMTV) – More than 200 Mount Horeb High School students are heading overseas to perform in London’s New Year’s Day Parade, marking months of preparation and a long-standing tradition within the district’s music programs.
The group includes students from band, choir and orchestra, with rehearsals and logistics beginning more than a year ago.
“Yeah, this is actually month 14. We’ve been preparing. So it’s been well over a year,” said Kellen Dorner, band director at Mount Horeb High School.
The district has participated in the international parade multiple times, with the program continuing to grow over the years.
“At that time, we took maybe a group of maybe 100 people. This year’s group is about 210, so it’s grown significantly, thanks to him starting that process going,” Dorner said, referencing former band director Will Jansen, who helped launch the international travel opportunities.
Dorner said the invitation-only event has expanded beyond band to include additional music programs.
“And on this trip, we have band, choir, and orchestra. So, it’s really a wonderful way to expose so many kids to culture and just world travel,” he said.
For some families, the experience is multi-generational.
“So, my sophomore year, our former band director, Will Jansen, was here. That was his first year he started, and he started these trips with our students,” said Amy Kellesvig, a Mount Horeb alum and parent. “In between my junior and senior year, we took the very first trip, and we went up to Toronto and New York City. So that was really fun.”
Now, her daughter Leah is preparing to perform overseas as a senior and band captain.
“For the parade I’m playing snare drum, but in class I like to do all the fun auxiliary percussion and the mallets,” said Leah Kellesvig.
Beyond the performance, students will spend time touring historic landmarks throughout the United Kingdom.
“We go see Big Ben, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Oxford, Westminster Abbey,” Leah said.
District leaders say the trip reflects the Mount Horeb community’s support for well-rounded education and extracurricular opportunities.
“Well, that speaks to our community, right, is that we give every opportunity for our students to experience success regardless of where they’re coming from,” said Steve Salerno, superintendent of the Mount Horeb Area School District. “The kids, they really value a well-roundedness. The families value a well-roundedness.”
Salerno said community support plays a critical role in making large-scale trips like this possible, from parent involvement to local business partnerships.
The students will bring a mix of traditional and energetic performances to the parade route.
“We do a lot of UW marching band style things,” Dorner said. “So, when we’re going for this parade, a lot of times it’s a very formal event, but we’re going to do some fun stuff like Build Me Up Buttercups to try to get the audience excited.”
As departure day arrived, students said they were eager to finally see months of work come together.
“I’m just really excited to see it all come together since we’ve been practicing,” Leah Kellesvig said. “And I’m just, yeah, I’m really excited to see how the parade goes.”
Mount Horeb students are scheduled to march in London’s New Year’s Day Parade on Jan. 1.
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