Shaler Area High School Titan Marching Band joined nearly 200 other units from across the country in marching past the White House in the 2009 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., Monday.

Representing Western Pennsylvania were 160 Shaler Area musicians, majorettes, color guard and dance team members. They joined national military bands, active military and specialty units, floats, other marching bands and veterans of conflicts from World War II through Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The parade marked the first time in more than 10 years a district marching band had participated in a national event. "This was a huge honor for us and our school district," said George Tepshich, director of the band for the past three years.

Four charter buses took the band to the nation's capital Sunday morning, accompanied by 18 parent chaperones and seven Shaler staff members. That evening, the band students attended the National Memorial Day Concert by the National Symphony Orchestra on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The parade began at 2 p.m. Monday, and the band left for home immediately after it ended.

"Everything went really well," Mr. Tepshich said upon the band's return. "The kids looked and sounded great and this was definitely an amazing experience for everyone involved. ... I am sure that the students and the community will remember this for a long time to come."

In preparation for the parade, the group practiced twice a week for the past month.

"They always step up to a different challenge," Mr. Tepshich said. "They always represent our school district well."

Selection for the parade followed an application process that started in November when Superintendent Dr. Donald Lee learned of the opportunity through Shaler Commissioner Thomas McElhone.

The application included a letter of recommendation from Mr. McElhone and school board president James Giel, a video performance of the band's halftime show and parade, an audio performance recorded on CD, a photo of the band, biographies of the seven Shaler Area Marching Band staff members and a resume of the band's significant accomplishments.

Those included performances in local community parades, the City of Pittsburgh Veterans Day Parade and the Shaler Area Memorial Day Parade. In addition, the band recently returned from the annual Festivals of Music competition, held this year in Virginia Beach, Va. They won first place awards for the dance team, silk line, the drum line and concert band, among other prizes.

The school board financed 50 percent of the trip, while donations from area businesses and fundraising helped to raise most of the other $25,000. The Shaler Area Band Parents Association worked with area businesses including Applebee's, McDonald's and Barnes Noble to raise funds to send the musicians. They also ran a 50-50 raffle at a basketball game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Shaler faculty in March and benefited from a home cookware sale party, hosted by one of the band parents.

"We are honored to have been one of the few bands selected to represent high schools across our great nation in this prestigious event," said Superintendent Lee.

According to Jennifer Freer, travel coordinator for the band, fundraising is an ongoing process for members and their parents. Band parents and the students raise money throughout the year by selling supermarket gift cards, by volunteering at a concession stand at Heinz Field for a percentage of the profits, and by holding an annual pancake breakfast.