Trip of Lifetime: Spirit of South Paulding Band Marches in London

Members of the Spirit of South Paulding high school marching band made the trip of a lifetime for the new year by participating in the London New Years Day Parade on Jan. 1.

The band was one of four from Georgia invited to perform — joining Cherokee High School, Lambert High (Forsyth County), and Greater Atlanta Christian School.

The London parade has an annual worldwide TV audience of 300 million, according to its website.

>>Check out the photos of the band in England attached to this article.

Preparations for the Spirit’s trip began two years ago, when the band was under the direction of Chris Carr, who has since moved onto the Carrollton school district.

“The invitation began as a reference from Kenny Beard, who serves as a talent scout for the parade committee. He referred us to Mr. Bob Bone, who then researched the band. Bob Bone is the Executive Director for the Parade,” Carr said in an email. “They actually gave the ‘official’ invitation during their visit to SPHS when we performed a concert and they conducted the invitation ceremony followed by a reception.”

After Carr left for Carrollton City Schools at the end of last year, new band director DJ McConnell agreed to continue with the trip.

The parade posted the following about the band on its website:

The Spirit of South Paulding

The South Paulding High School Band Program was founded in 2006 and only had 45 members at first. The Spirit of South Paulding Marching Band is a co-curricular organisation that competes in two marching competitions each marching season. The band has consistently earned superior ratings in all marching captions since 2006 and has earned four Grand Championships. Spirit has marched in the 2009 Chick-fil-a Bowl parade, pre-game, and half-time performances, the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Parade. In 2013, with the help of their community and a video created by SPHS student, Shelby Rhodes, the band won the Bert Show’s Battle of the Bands sponsored by the California Pizza Kitchen and Q100. In 2013, the Spirit of South Paulding proudly accepted an invitation from London Officals to participate in the London’s New Year’s Day Parade 2015. Visit their website here.

DJ McConnell, Director of Bands

A graduate of the University of Georgia, DJ McConnell has been teaching since 2007. He is a former Drum Major of the University of Georgia Redcoat Marching Band. His bands have consistantly earned superior ratings. Mr. McConnell is married to the love of his life, Mary Frances McConnell, and together they have two sons, Ian and Jonah.

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(Photos: Spirit of South Paulding trip to the London New Years Day Parade, including shots in front of Parliament Square before the parade, and front of Big Ben after the parade. Credit: Judy Mihelich)