We Saw America
Do you ever wonder what your impact is on your students? Every one of us has been impacted by a teacher; we can see their imprints every day in what we do. If we’re lucky, we stay in touch with the best ones; I’m extremely fortunate to have mine as a colleague here at Brightspark. With this in mind, I want to share with you a blog post that I wrote….27 years ago. On a typewriter. Before the internet was even a twinkle in the motherboard of a couple of computers in a garage in Emeryville, CA.
This sprung from the mind of a 16 year old kid from a small town in Iowa who just a week before finished an experience of a lifetime. And since he had gotten A’s in Mr. Neith’s writing class—or possibly because his prom date’s mom was an editor at the local paper—he felt courageous enough to put thoughts to paper reflecting on the journey on the off chance that the newspaper might find this good enough to print.
Reading this now—27 years later—it reminds me of our mission here at Brightspark. It reminds me of the importance of student travel, and how this can truly become a life changing event for a young person. I should know, for it changed mine. Here then—with no changes, updates or rewrites—are my reflections on my first band trip way back in 1983.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Scarlet Regiment March on Washington—it was an experience we will never forget. The feeling of knowing that the band was chosen to represent the entire state in a national parade was incredible—at times too incredible—to comprehend. I feel that it wasn’t until we reached the Capital City that I came to 100% realization that we were there to represent Iowa in the National Independence Day Parade.
We saw a lot of things on this trip. We even learned a few things about our nation’s history. But on top of this, we saw more than the country: we saw America. We saw America in the beauty of the land. From the farmland of Iowa and Illinois that seemed to stretch forever, to the rolling infinity of the Appalachians in Pennsylvania, we were reminded that this is the land of “purple mountain majesties above the fruited plains.” We saw America in the buildings that house the government of our nation. The Capitol Building seemed to reflect the power our government holds, yet its openness reflected the freedoms and input the people have towards the government. The number of various Department buildings reflected how the government has a way to cater our every need, and a way to reach all of our goals.
We saw America in the museums of the Smithsonian Institute. The “nation’s attic” as it is called, held memorabilia that would take a lifetime to completely observe. We saw the original “Star Spangled Banner” that inspired Francis Scott Key. We saw telegraph machines and covered wagons that moved the nation to the West. We saw the weapons that we used in fighting for our freedom, or in fighting our brothers in the Civil War. We saw Jimmy Durante’s hat, Fonzie’s jacket, and Archie and Edith Bunker’s chairs. We saw the spacecraft that had taken men to the moon, and touched a sample of what they brought back.
We saw America in the monuments of 3 great presidents, and realized how their leadership so many years ago has made us what we are today. We saw America in the battlefields of Gettysburg, the graves in Arlington, and the names on the Vietnam War Memorial. And the same questions burned in our minds, “Why this cost?” “Why the need?” “Will we ever have to…?”
We saw America in Independence Hall where our government was born, in the National Archives where the documents of freedom are kept, and in the Liberty Bell which proclaimed the independence we declared. We saw America in the parade in Philadelphia, and in the different faces of different bands from across the country. We saw America in the appreciation of the crowds lining the streets to see us go by. We saw America in the stamina the band students held: we marching in 108-degree heat until we could march no more. We saw America when citizens of Philadelphia—the city of brotherly love—would offer their help in comforting the fallen marchers.
We saw America in the collection of people gathering in the nation’s capital to celebrate Independence Day. People from all walks of life had assembled to see the parade, to participate in the parade, to enjoy the festivities after the parade, and to sit through the rain to see the Wayne Newton concert and the giant fireworks display that evening (the “official” Interior Department report stated that all 310,000 spectators held out when the rains hit: I know of about 47 band students that did not).
We saw America as we marched down Constitution Avenue on the Fourth of July. The patriotism in Washington, D.C. on this day hangs like a star-filled sky that seems to go on forever. As we passed first the Archives, then the museums, then the offices of the government, and finally the White House, we knew that this was to be our “one brief shining moment,” the moment that would last a lifetime.
We saw America in the crowds that clapped along in time while we played the “Colonel Bogey March” and cheered as we went by. We saw America in the chaperones and other volunteer helpers who sacrificed sitting and watching the parade to walk along with the band providing water, ice cubes, cold towels and encouraging words to keep us going through the sweltering July heat. Their work was truly American.
And finally, we saw America in the fabulous welcome we were given when we arrived back in Algona. I remember sitting on the bus and hoping that there would be a few people to greet us at the high school. None of us expected the reception we received, and it meant as much to us as the trip itself. It showed us that we have a town that will stand behind us: we have a town that will support us, a town that celebrates our successes, and a town that will help us reach our goals. We have a town that takes pride in what we do, and that means a lot to every one of the members of the Algona High School Scarlet Regiment Marching Band.
The March on Washington is over now. The fund raising projects have been wrapped up. There will be no more early morning practices. The uniforms have been collected for a much-needed dry cleaning. Our Philadelphia trophy is proudly displayed in the high school band room. And we all have memories to last a lifetime. We fondly look back at the events of this trip, and we look forward to more “shining moments” that are in store for us in the future.
Posted by Tom Merrill:
This sprung from the mind of a 16 year old kid from a small town in Iowa who just a week before finished an experience of a lifetime. And since he had gotten A’s in Mr. Neith’s writing class—or possibly because his prom date’s mom was an editor at the local paper—he felt courageous enough to put thoughts to paper reflecting on the journey on the off chance that the newspaper might find this good enough to print.
Reading this now—27 years later—it reminds me of our mission here at Brightspark. It reminds me of the importance of student travel, and how this can truly become a life changing event for a young person. I should know, for it changed mine. Here then—with no changes, updates or rewrites—are my reflections on my first band trip way back in 1983.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Scarlet Regiment March on Washington—it was an experience we will never forget. The feeling of knowing that the band was chosen to represent the entire state in a national parade was incredible—at times too incredible—to comprehend. I feel that it wasn’t until we reached the Capital City that I came to 100% realization that we were there to represent Iowa in the National Independence Day Parade.
We saw a lot of things on this trip. We even learned a few things about our nation’s history. But on top of this, we saw more than the country: we saw America. We saw America in the beauty of the land. From the farmland of Iowa and Illinois that seemed to stretch forever, to the rolling infinity of the Appalachians in Pennsylvania, we were reminded that this is the land of “purple mountain majesties above the fruited plains.” We saw America in the buildings that house the government of our nation. The Capitol Building seemed to reflect the power our government holds, yet its openness reflected the freedoms and input the people have towards the government. The number of various Department buildings reflected how the government has a way to cater our every need, and a way to reach all of our goals.
We saw America in the museums of the Smithsonian Institute. The “nation’s attic” as it is called, held memorabilia that would take a lifetime to completely observe. We saw the original “Star Spangled Banner” that inspired Francis Scott Key. We saw telegraph machines and covered wagons that moved the nation to the West. We saw the weapons that we used in fighting for our freedom, or in fighting our brothers in the Civil War. We saw Jimmy Durante’s hat, Fonzie’s jacket, and Archie and Edith Bunker’s chairs. We saw the spacecraft that had taken men to the moon, and touched a sample of what they brought back.
We saw America in the monuments of 3 great presidents, and realized how their leadership so many years ago has made us what we are today. We saw America in the battlefields of Gettysburg, the graves in Arlington, and the names on the Vietnam War Memorial. And the same questions burned in our minds, “Why this cost?” “Why the need?” “Will we ever have to…?”
We saw America in Independence Hall where our government was born, in the National Archives where the documents of freedom are kept, and in the Liberty Bell which proclaimed the independence we declared. We saw America in the parade in Philadelphia, and in the different faces of different bands from across the country. We saw America in the appreciation of the crowds lining the streets to see us go by. We saw America in the stamina the band students held: we marching in 108-degree heat until we could march no more. We saw America when citizens of Philadelphia—the city of brotherly love—would offer their help in comforting the fallen marchers.
We saw America in the collection of people gathering in the nation’s capital to celebrate Independence Day. People from all walks of life had assembled to see the parade, to participate in the parade, to enjoy the festivities after the parade, and to sit through the rain to see the Wayne Newton concert and the giant fireworks display that evening (the “official” Interior Department report stated that all 310,000 spectators held out when the rains hit: I know of about 47 band students that did not).
We saw America as we marched down Constitution Avenue on the Fourth of July. The patriotism in Washington, D.C. on this day hangs like a star-filled sky that seems to go on forever. As we passed first the Archives, then the museums, then the offices of the government, and finally the White House, we knew that this was to be our “one brief shining moment,” the moment that would last a lifetime.
We saw America in the crowds that clapped along in time while we played the “Colonel Bogey March” and cheered as we went by. We saw America in the chaperones and other volunteer helpers who sacrificed sitting and watching the parade to walk along with the band providing water, ice cubes, cold towels and encouraging words to keep us going through the sweltering July heat. Their work was truly American.
And finally, we saw America in the fabulous welcome we were given when we arrived back in Algona. I remember sitting on the bus and hoping that there would be a few people to greet us at the high school. None of us expected the reception we received, and it meant as much to us as the trip itself. It showed us that we have a town that will stand behind us: we have a town that will support us, a town that celebrates our successes, and a town that will help us reach our goals. We have a town that takes pride in what we do, and that means a lot to every one of the members of the Algona High School Scarlet Regiment Marching Band.
The March on Washington is over now. The fund raising projects have been wrapped up. There will be no more early morning practices. The uniforms have been collected for a much-needed dry cleaning. Our Philadelphia trophy is proudly displayed in the high school band room. And we all have memories to last a lifetime. We fondly look back at the events of this trip, and we look forward to more “shining moments” that are in store for us in the future.
Posted by Tom Merrill:
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