Featuring over 40 floats, 20 different bands, and 18 million flowers, the 2017 annual Rose Parade was a hit. Thousands of people volunteered and helped create the floats, and get everything ready for the big day. It is a pure joy to be a part of the parade, and it is a joy Santiago’s Band, BOSS, gets to partake in on January 1, 2018.

Santiago has been in the parade once before and is the only high school from the Corona-Norco Unified School District that has marched in the Rose Parade. The band applied for a spot in the parade in May 2016. The application process included videos of BOSS playing and marching, pictures of their different uniforms, letters of recommendation from school board members, district officials, city council members, state congressmen, the state senate, and a narrative about the band and their story.

BOSS consists of 250 band members (210 musicians and 40 color guard), and approximately 280 will be marching in the Rose Parade. The band is lead by Mr. Parish and Mr. Dudek, the band directors. Mr. Parish began the program in 1995, and has been a band director for 21 years, and Mr. Dudek has been a band director for 13 years.

The band practices around five hours a week during school hours and three hours after school on Thursdays performs at football games on Fridays and marches in parades on Saturdays. Needless to say, band practices 24:7. A number of rehearsals will only increase while preparing for the Rose Parade. The week between Christmas and New Years Day will be filled with a crazy amount of rehearsals for the band to get ready for the march down Colorado Boulevard.

BOSS needs over 80,000 dollars to pay for the Rose Parade. The district is going to help with the task of transportation to and from the parade, but BOSS will still need a large sum of money to help with everything that is needed for the parade. They will be fundraising and coordinating Band Fest, where students, friends, and family can come and support Band and watch them perform some of their spectacular field shows.

Even though BOSS is tasked with preparing for the Rose Parade, all Santiago has to do is be supportive of the band during this exciting and stressful time before they march down Colorado Boulevard.