As one of the charter buses transported Seneca East High School band students back to Attica Sunday morning, a children's movie played on the screen to pass the time.
The movie talked about the Statue of Liberty and a video screen in Times Square.
After last week's trip to the Big Apple, the musicians can say, "We were there."
The trip included the obligatory tourist stops at Chinatown, Central Park, the Empire State Building and Times Square.
And while the shopping scene yielded some good buys, the colors in the park were beautiful, the views from atop the skycraper were stunning and the main gathering place in downtown was exciting, I think the experiences of the trip that will stay with students the longest haven't sunk in yet.
Not many high school students can say they shared their musical talents on a national stage such as Times Square, which is probably one of the busiest couple of blocks in the nation.
Not many high school students can say they visited the new Sept. 11, 2001, memorial after paying tribute to its heroes through music just hours before.
Not many high school students can say they've marched down 5th Avenue in a parade as large as New York City's Veterans Day parade, which went on for hours.
But Seneca East students can.
I suspect the students may not truly understand the magnitude of their experiences of the past five days for quite some time. They will return to school, activities and sports, and the emotional high slowly will fade away.
But, I know they never will forget being praised at the Sept. 11 tribute, the response of the crowd during the parade and the patriotism displayed on Veterans Day, 11-11-11.
They should feel a sense of pride for participating in such high-profile events.
They not only represented Seneca East, but also their communities, Seneca County, northwest Ohio and Ohio. And having been a lucky first-hand observer, I can say without a doubt they represented those areas well.
I believe the impact of the Tiger pride That roared in New York City last week will be felt for a long time - by those New Yorkers who witnessed it and by the students who exhibited it.
