KERKHOVEN - The fundraising will begin soon for the KMS Marching Saints next big trip.
The Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg High School marching band has been invited to Hawaii for the 75th anniversary observance of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The popular, award-winning band directed by Pam Diem was chosen to represent Minnesota in a mass band at the observance. The surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, is commemorated each year, but the 2016 anniversary is expected to be one of the biggest. Diem said she knew when she sent the application to the organizing committee that such a trip would be a big undertaking for a small school.
Considering the cost of shipping uniforms and instruments that distance, “our fundraising will definitely have to be amped up,” Diem said. The current estimate is that the trip will cost about $2,500 per student, and the band has around 90 members.
Diem said this Pearl Harbor anniversary is expected to be the last major commemoration with survivors attending.
“I love history,” Diem said, and she feels a duty to share the Pearl Harbor history with the students, so that they can continue telling the story.
“I love when we can connect the dots with the classroom,” she said. It’s part of the reason she decided to apply.
“This is a big honor,” Diem said. “It’s such a powerful piece of history; that makes it huge.”
Before applying for the trip, Diem said, she checked with others in the district. In a smaller district, students are involved in many activities. She checked first with Superintendent Martin Heidelberger, who encouraged her to pursue it.
She spoke with the activities director and coaches, because the trip comes during sports seasons. They were all in favor, too.
With more than a year to plan, they should be able to adjust schedules to accommodate the absences, they said.
While the details are not yet set, the band will be gone about a week, she said. There will be one day for rehearsals and tours of the Pearl Harbor memorial, one day for the event, and then time for a little fun.
Diem said it’s her goal to raise enough money to bring down the cost for everyone. Some families have more than one child in band, and “I don’t want money to be an obstacle.”
That’s where the KMS Music Parents will come in.
“Our music booster group is awesome,” Diem said.
Carol Tollefson, president of the music parents, said the band has been taking major trips every few years for the last decade. Going to Pearl Harbor is “definitely an honor.”
The Marching Saints band, because it’s so visible, often gets more public attention, but the parent group works to assist the entire music program. Parents volunteer to help with high school musicals, concerts and choir trips, in addition to parades.
Tollefson said she planned to ask for ideas from other bands which have made major trips like this.
“I hope we can come up with creative ideas, because there’s a lot of kids who can’t afford this on their own,” she said.
Fundraising efforts are likely to kick off in August, Tollefson said.
“We’re certainly going to reach out to alumni,” she said. “With such a strong history of this band, we’ve already had alumni reach out to us.”
In the past, raffles have been a popular fundraiser, and area businesses have donated prizes.
“This by far will be our biggest one, we know that, so we’re trying to come up with some new ideas,” Tollefson said.
Diem said they are looking into grants and are hoping to receive some support from veterans groups around the state, as the Marching Saints is the only band representing Minnesota.
The School Board has always been supportive of the band, Diem said. The board recently approved a $50,000 purchase of new uniforms, which will be ready for summer 2016 and the Pearl Harbor trip.
“They likened it to a sporting team,” she said. “They’re competitors, and they have to wear uniforms. … It’s just another way our community is supporting us.”
Tollefson praised Diem and the district for the commitment to marching band, especially in a time when many school districts are cutting their programs.
Diem has been with the district 28 years. It’s her first teaching job, and the first thing she did was to direct the marching band the summer after she graduated from college.
Over the years, the band grew from marching through parades to developing intricate performances and winning competitions.
The band and its popularity helps “rally the community for a good cause,” Diem said. “What drive me is how excited (the kids) are; I’m proud to be the person to help make it happen.”
Information about the trip and fundraising efforts will be available on the KMS Marching Saints Facebook page. Those who wish may send donations to the KMS district office, 302 N. 15th St., Kerkhoven, MN 56252, in care of the Marching Saints.
