2 Eastern Iowa Teens Were Chosen to Play in the Rose Bowl Parade

What an honor!

According to a new article from KCRG, two Iowa high school students were selected to play their instruments with Bands of America in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on New Year's Day! There are over 400 students from all over the country taking part in the big event, but only two are from the state of Iowa. Those two students are Ellie Barkalow and Trystian Lashley.

Both Ellie and Trystian are students at Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, but they play different instruments. Ellie is a senior and plays the flute, while Trystian is a junior and plays the tuba. Trystian told KCRG that he was "greatly honored" to be invited and that he sprinted to the band director's room right away to tell him the good news. Ellie shared that the news of her acceptance made her cry!

The Mount Vernon band director Scott Weber was obviously very excited for his students. He told KCRG:

"These two kids are not all-state musicians, but they’re kids that care about playing their instrument, and they work really hard. And they practice really hard."

This actually isn't the first time Mount Vernon marching band members have been recognized this year. They recently traveled to Chicago to play in city's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade!

The Rose Parade will take place Saturday, January 1st at 10 a.m. We wish Ellie and Trystian the best of luck and a safe trip to California! We're proud to have them there to represent the state of Iowa.