One hundred sixty five people in the Chaps band flew to Pearl Harbor, Honolulu Hawaii Jan. 14.

They played five patriotic songs at Pearl Harbor to pay tribute to the USS Missouri.

The band was the first marching band to pay tribute to the Battleship Missouri in 2026. They were rewarded with an American flag that was flown on the Battleship Missouri.

For two weeks, the band had two hour practices twice a day in preparation for the performance. After the two weeks of preparation they had a small performance for friends and family to imitate the real thing.

“We had our rehearsals that we did after school, and we had been doing patriotic songs, some of which we have done previously as a band,” freshman clarinet player Lauren Powell said.

Practices were carefully orchestrated to be efficient.

“We’ve had a band meeting where all the band members and the directors give a rundown of what was going to happen,” freshman euphonium player Sophia Telesco said. “We’ve also had multiple minutes in class, and a few rehearsals for preparing the music.”

While also working hard, the band got to see historical landmarks and learn about the history.

“It’s gonna be really cool to see Pearl Harbor because it’s a very pretty and sentimental place,” Powell said. “After we perform, we get to go see the wreckage of the Battleship Missouri.”

On the trip, they had two free days and one concert day. On those free days, they visited museums, took hikes and had a beach day.

“Something that I learned was that in Battleship Missouri, they have donut rooms specifically for making donuts,” Powell said.

The student musicians bonded, enjoyed the sights and made core memories.

Powell made many memories on the trip and loved all the culture.

“My favorite thing about the Hawaiian culture is the profound spirit of aloha which embodies love, compassion, and kindness in daily life I also really like how kind everyone was” Powell said.