Students march in Macy’s parade

Baines The Gulf Breeze High School SoundWave Band and cheerleaders will be well-represented in the 83rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday in New York City.

Omari Baines, Ben Medeiros and Marc Sessa will be performing as members of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band. They will march in front of more than 2.5 million spectators along the parade route and be seen by 50 million worldwide TV viewers on NBC-TV.

The Macy’s Great American Marching Band is 250 members strong with students representing all 50 states.

This is the second consecutive year that Baines and Sessa were selected to participate, while it’s Medeiros’ first experience with the Macy’s Great American Marching Band. Baines plays trumpet, Medeiros plays trombone, and Sessa plays baritone.

The trio arrived in New York on Saturday. Besides their practice schedule, the group was treated to a program hosted by acclaimed motivational speaker Fran Kick.

Medeiros On Thanksgiving Night, the students and their parents will be treated to Thanksgiving dinner at the Hilton Woodcliff.

The band students are not the only Gulf Breeze representatives in the traditional parade. Four GBHS cheerleaders – varsity members Alexa Booth and Ashley Wilson, and junior varsity standouts Jennifer Mitchell and Julianne Lewis, will participate.

The parade will be hosted by NBC ‘Today Show’ hosts Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer. The parade airs at 9 a m. central time (WPMI-15, Mobile). Pop music veterans Carly Simon and Cyndi Lauper will both perform, as will opera singer Andrea Bocelli, reggae singer Ziggy Marley, and county music star Billy Currington.

Other musical performers include Gloria Gaynor, American Idol’s Katherine McPhee, rock band Boys like Girls and Jimmy Fallon and his late night band, The Roots.

Sessa In addition to the featured musical performance and the traditional giant balloons and floats, viewers can look forward to seeing the cast and muppets from Sesame Street, the cast of Shrek, the Radio City Rockettes and the cast of the popular children’s show, Yo Gabba Gabba, who will perform a new dance. The parade will also introduce four new giant balloons – the Pillsbury Doughboy, Spiderman, Sailor Mickey Mouse and an ice skating Ronald McDonald.
Booth
Lewis
Mitchell
Wilson