By: M.Madariaga and A.Villela
Photography: M. Fletcher
Alemany Band is extremely thankful for the firefighters who are risking their lives every day, and the appreciative students recognized the heroes with a performance on December 11th, 2018, at Los Angeles Fire Department Station 75. Mrs. Kennedy, the new Band and Orchestra teacher, says, "We were trying to find a way to do something nice for them for Christmas. Since they just went through the whole fire craziness, I called them up and asked them if we can perform. The firefighters were pleasantly surprised and responded with, ‘Sure. It’s never happened before.’” This performance has sparked the start of a new tradition that teaches Alemany students a valuable lesson. Casey Ignacio (11) expresses what he learned, "I have a better appreciation for what they do and how they help the community."
For many of the students, it was their first time in a fire station and this gave them an insight into what firefighters go through on a daily basis. Many of the kids observed the fire truck and got to climb on top to see the view. Isabell Estrada (10) even had the chance to try on a firefighter uniform and was astonished by how heavy it was. Estrada (10) says, "It was my first time being inside a fire station and it was fun playing for the firefighters. And putting on the suit made me feel like a real firefighter. But what made this event memorable was being able to spend it with all my friends.” “Some of the students got to go on the fire truck and it was pretty cool to see the inside of a fire station because I’ve never been in one before,” says Riley Espiritu (12).
The students look forward to going back and performing for the firefighters again. The members of Band are gaining more confidence and are excited to perform for more people. Mrs. Kennedy is hoping to visit Holy Cross Hospital and Los Angeles Children’s Hospital to give other deserving people a show they will never forget.