At this school, students and faculty get one unusual day off: St. Patrick’s Day.

On March 13, the Pride of the Irish marching band and color guard will take part in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, along with the cheerleaders as well as the wrestling, men’s lacrosse, rugby, and women’s tennis teams, all of which earned State championships.

Director of Bands Mrs. Kathy McCulluogh said that the marching band will perform the school song and an Irish jig, along with a drum cadence and marching cadence, which will rotate over and over for the duration of the parade.

“We get there about an hour before the parade starts, because we have to unload the truck and buses and everything and get set up and so we end up leaving about a half hour, and then once the parade starts, it’s about 45 or 50 minutes,” said McCullough.

“We are the Irish, and the band is the Pride of the Irish, so it’s a pretty good fit with the St. Patrick’s Day theme,” said McCullough. She said that this year will be her 23rd parade, and that the school has always participated in the event in Downtown Indianapolis.

However, this school did not always have the day off. According to Athletics Director Mr. Rick Streiff, students used to skip school to attend the parade. This became known as the Champions’ Day off. It became easier for students and faculty alike to not to have classes, especially since numerous student groups, such as the marching band and cheerleaders, had to attend the parade instead of school.

“It’s the biggest parade that we perform for all year with the most people, and it’s the longest, too,” said McCullough. “It’s a lot of fun. Everybody’s really happy at it.” McCullough added that the marching band will perform at the parade “rain or shine.”

In an email, Streiff wrote, “(It is) great exposure for our school to be able to walk the parade as State champs and to follow our band that plays in it every year.”