Lindbergh High School’s Spirit of St. Louis Marching Band has been selected to play in the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., which takes place on New Year’s Day.

This will be the band’s third trip to the nationally televised parade, as it received the honor in 2005 and 2011, according to a news release. Marching Band Director David Wyss surprised more than 200 marching band members with the announcement on Nov. 10. He played a video from Tournament of Roses Executive Vice President Lance Tibbet, and band parents presented each student with a red rose.

“This is the highest honor a high school marching band can achieve, and our band members, parents and staff are so proud to be able to represent the Lindbergh community, St. Louis area and state of Missouri on a global stage,” Wyss stated in the release. “We are so proud to march for a third time in the 2018 Tournament of Roses parade.”

Wyss and his team will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor and mentor, Director Bob Spiegelman, who led the LHS band to the 2005 and 2011 events, and passed away shortly after in March 2011, following a courageous battle with lymphoma. In a coincidental and fitting tribute to the beloved former director, Wyss received notification of the band’s 2018 selection on Oct. 14, Mr. Spiegelman’s birthday.