By 1808Delaware
When the 2026 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Rose Parade steps off on January 1, a small group from Westerville North High School will be part of a very large moment.
Five members of the school’s marching band community are joining hundreds of students and educators from across the country to perform in one of the most watched parades in the world. Three students, Ryan Tipple and siblings Trent and Lilly Carson, have been selected for the Bands of America Honor Band. The 300-member ensemble brings together winds, percussion, and color guard performers from across the U.S., with organizers aiming to represent all 50 states in the 2026 lineup.
For Tipple, a senior tenor saxophonist, the timing could not be better.
“It’s a huge once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform in a historic event,” he said. “It’s my senior year. It’s nice to end on such a high note and finish my high school career with this experience.”
Trent Carson, also a senior, sees the trip as both personal and communal.
“It means a lot to me,” said the trumpet player. “It’s a way to represent my school and my community. It’s also a way for me to keep doing what I love, working as part of a marching band team, just on a much bigger stage.”
A Director’s View From the Street
Joining the students in Pasadena will be band director Sara Loney and assistant band director Lauren Parrett, both selected to march as part of Saluting America’s Band Directors, known informally as the Band for Marching Band Directors.
The project brings together nearly 300 educators from across the country to perform alongside one another, recognizing the work of school band directors nationwide. For Loney, the 2026 Rose Parade will mark her third appearance in a nationally televised parade. She previously marched in the 2022 Rose Parade and the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This one, she says, feels different.
“Knowing there’s a whole North crew going, that there are North students who will get to meet students from bands across the country and be in this parade they’ve probably seen 14 times, that’s what makes it special,” she said.
She is also looking forward to sharing the experience with Parrett, who will be marching in the Rose Parade for the first time.
The SABD effort is sponsored by the Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, based in Pickerington. The foundation honors the legacy of Mike Sewell, who spent more than 38 years supporting school and community music programs throughout Central Ohio.
A National Stage With Local Roots
For the students and directors alike, the Rose Parade represents more than a trip to California. It is a chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with peers from across the country, perform at the highest level, and carry Westerville North’s colors onto a national stage.
For some, it will be a capstone. For others, a first step into something bigger. For all five, it will be a New Year’s Day they will not forget.
