South Lakes Marching Band brings its spirit to Pearl Harbor

By Mark Hazlin, SLHS marching band parent

Seahawks band members at the USS Missouri in Honolulu. Photo contributed by Mark Hazlin

Before dawn on Thursday, Dec. 4, members of the South Lakes High School “Spirit of Reston” Marching Band gathered at BWI Airport for a bleary-eyed journey to Hawaii to participate in the 2025 Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade.

Band Director Grayson Fore led a combined group of South Lakes and Marshall High School band members on the educational trip.

Before parade day, students toured historic Pearl Harbor sites, including the USS Arizona Memorial, where they viewed a documentary film and heard from veterans and historians about the Dec. 7, 1941, attack that drew the U.S. into World War II. After visiting the USS Missouri, the combined band delivered its first tribute performance at the memorial site.

On Dec. 7, the 84th anniversary of the “Day That Will Live in Infamy,” the band rehearsed at Fort DeRussy, an active military installation, and joined a mass band performance of “God Bless America” ahead of the evening parade.

South Lakes students march in Hawaii. Photo by Dan Greene

While units staged for the parade, the South Lakes-Marshall drumline became part of an impromptu “drum battle” with another school’s percussion section. What began as warmups quickly turned into a lively exchange of cadences that drew a crowd of spectators. Fairfax County School Board member Melanie Meren shared the moment on social media, giving viewers back home a glimpse of the students’ camaraderie and competitive spirit.

The band then took part in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, marching approximately one mile through downtown Waikiki along Kalakaua Avenue and performing for thousands of onlookers. The evening concluded with dinner at Kapiolani Park, where the Marine Forces Pacific Band provided entertainment.

Students also experienced Oahu beyond the memorial events, visiting the North Shore, the Dole Plantation, and beaches including Waimea Bay, Sunset Beach, and the Banzai Pipeline, with lunch in Hale‘iwa. At the Polynesian Cultural Center, they toured island village exhibits, participated in canoe activities, and viewed the IMAX film “Hawaiian Journey,” followed by the evening production “Ha: Breath of Life.”

The trip concluded with additional sightseeing, including a hike at Diamond Head, before the group returned home—bringing with them a shared experience that blended history, music, and representation of their Reston community on a national stage.