Adrianne Ward
High school marching band trips tend to stay within the country. When the students at Pickerington Central and North got the chance to travel overseas, they seized it.
Central senior Ash Walker struggled to believe the rumors she heard around school. North senior Jack Armen remembers it being an ordinary day when his Performing Arts Center erupted with cheer. Reality sank in for Central junior Illana Welch as registration and jacket sizing forms went out.
“I was thinking ‘There’s no way,’” North senior Moriah Cue says. “It’s such a rare thing for band students to take their craft across the world.”
Performing in the 2026 New Year’s Day Parade in London marks the first time abroad for many students. For the schools, it means a momentous reunion.
The overseas opportunity
Pickerington High School Central
Central
Every four years, the North and Central marching bands unite for a regional trip. This collaboration in London is their inaugural joint trip to go international.
After North successfully participated in the 2018 parade alone, it teamed up with Central to someday include both schools in the fun.
“Coming together for this performance instills a great sense of camaraderie between the schools,” North Director of Bands Nicholas Young says.
“The kids made friends that ended up in different high schools, so seeing them reconnect is neat,” Central Director of Bands Nathan Stowe adds.
To pull off such an expensive experience, the schools joined forces for raffles, sales of pizza rollers, flowers, T-shirts and other events. Band boosters began preparing fundraising plans six weeks before the announcement to students and raised nearly $50,000 by the end of September.
Adrianne Ward
North
Adrianne Ward, vice president of North’s Band Boosters, strived for every student to afford the trip by driving awareness in the community, procuring donations and sponsorships rather than relying on more individualized fundraisers.
“It would be horrible if everybody else was going and then some just can’t,” Ward says. “We wanted strength in numbers, and being able to have that cooperation was great for students.”
Many students also helped, in addition to families, such as Armen working the car show at Central. He sees the dedication of his band reflected in the financial campaign.
“Promoting this trip really showed that we’re representing our community and showing our strength in unity,” Armen says.
Getting the band back together
Adrianne Ward
The band’s already-busy competition season coincided with the London preparations. During a handful of after-school rehearsals in late November, North’s approximate 160 players and Central’s 300 practiced in sectionals and marched laps around the campus.
“I was pleasantly surprised by our large turnout,” Stowe says. “The students are curious to get outside of Ohio and experience the world.”
The students feel excited about the unique opportunities the trip provides.
Adrianne Ward
“Not a lot of people get to experience this in their high school years,” Welch says. “I’m getting ready to do something big that I’ve never done before, and I get to represent my family and friends.”
For the parade, the band will perform the state song, “Beautiful Ohio,” and “A Brand New Day,” from The Wiz for its message of positive outlook toward the future. Wearing their regular uniforms, the directors blocked the formation to appear as a checkered pattern.
“We like to say the bands put the ‘unity’ in ‘community,’” Stowe says.
In London, that mantra of Pickerington’s high schools will ring truer than ever before.
Exploring London
Once in the city, students will immerse themselves via a choose-your-own-adventure educational itinerary, spanning Dec. 27 through Jan. 3. Many of them look forward to sightseeing. Armen, for instance, wants to check out attractions such as the Big Ben, the Parliament Building and the Crown Jewels.
Pickerington High School Central
“I can’t wait to see the things I’ve read about my whole life,” Armen says. “Being able to see them so young is really cool.”
Others embrace the trip as an occasion to make great memories with their friends.
“This is a crazy way to end my last season,” Walker says.
“It’s cool to experience other things outside of school with the people I spend hours with each week,” Cue adds. “We’re always connecting. We’re really like a family.”
Evan Che Stefanik is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback is welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
