KINGWOOD, Texas - This Thanksgiving, there will be an especially touching moment for one group of teens.
Kingwood High School flooded during Harvey, and on Thursday, the school’s band will march in the Thanksgiving Day Parade to thank everyone who helped them rebuild.
Emily Pogue, Emily Anaya and Grant Doyle are three Kingwood seniors who keep the band on beat. Together, they’ve overcome so much.
The teens describe this band as “family.” During Harvey, floodwaters rushed into Kingwood High. Towers of books, toppled over, debris was scattered on the floor.
The band hall was destroyed. Instruments and uniforms were ruined, but not their spirit.
“I think we're a better band for it,” Pogue said.
Even outside of these school walls, the floodwaters weren't forgiving. Grant said in these moments of uncertainty, school became their escape.
“Use the time, the opportunity to be away from home to just forget about being at home,” Doyle said.
After six months of sharing a school with Summer Creek, the Mustangs returned.
“The day we came back was a fantastic day, because no more having to share a school, no more having to drive all the way out to a school. It's our home, our place. It was like coming home from a road trip, after a long time,” Doyle said.
Marching in the Thanksgiving Day Parade is their way of telling the community “thank you.”
These teens don't mind waking up early to be together.
"That's kind of who we are as band kids. I know they’re looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with their friends and doing something they love downtown,” Pogue said.
It's their moment to celebrate a marching season of accomplishments.
“We have a tradition, our band director, Mr. Morrison, will do a backflip for us. If we felt like we did a good job,” Anaya said.
It was a season of back flips, and we're confident they'll be sticking the parade as well.