Ready for the World

By: Gabrielle Brown

Guilford County, N.C. - Students at Northwest High rung in the new year in a way that many people only dream about. The band spent the first hours of 2025 performing for the Pope in Rome’s New Year’s Day Parade.  

The annual event in the Eternal City bridges countries, cultures and communities. Visitors at the parade celebrate a fresh start and a new opportunity to be better together. The band paraded through the heart of Rome, strutting past the iconic Spanish Steps and trotting near the Trevi Fountain before entering the Vatican City to perform for the Pope and millions of parishioners who gathered to hear his New Year’s blessing. 

Italy is a dream come true for the students, families and Brian McMath, the Band Director at Northwest. He says he’s always wanted to lead an international tour with Northwest, reaching out to a performance group that greenlit their performance in Italy. He spent a year meticulously coordinating this experience for his students. He reflected that getting passports was the easiest part. Likening the planning to a game of Tetris, organizational emails, reminders and spreadsheets became invaluable. After navigating a journey that included three planes, five charter buses and four hotels, the group of 211 people spent a week in Italy, engaging in touring, cultural learning and practicing for their performance.  

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that McMath says gives students an opportunity to go beyond their textbooks and bring their learning to life. “Travel teaches us that we are all the same.  We are creatures of habit and comfort in our own bubble.  Travel shows us that it really is not scary to get outside of ourselves and experience other people and their cultures,” McMath told GCS. “These experiences are life-changing in a positive way and will hopefully grow each student’s humanity for the world.”  

2025 will mark the end of nearly 30 years in education for McMath. While he's curated nearly a dozen experiences for Northwest students, including trips to Hawaii, Canada, Florida, New York, Arizona and California, none have been on this scale. “I wanted this to be a trip to a country where the language could potentially be a barrier... I wanted this experience to push my students and families out of their comfort zone,” he said.  McMath, like countless other dedicated GCS teachers and staff, are masters at innovative ways to combine rigorous academics with exposure to enriching real-world experiences. This fosters an environment for students to dream big, accomplish their goals and graduate as responsible, well-rounded individuals prepared for the world.  

You can watch replays of the parade on your local PBS station or on YouTube.