For the second year in a row, the HHS Marching Band won the Sweepstakes Award for marching bands at the 2026 Portland Rose Festival's Starlight Parade. The Sweepstakes Award is the highest possible honor a high school marching band can receive at the event. Instead of winning a specific school-size division or geographical category (like "In-State" vs. "Out-of-State"), the Sweepstakes Award is given to the single best overall marching band in the entire parade, reflecting the highest combined score from the judges for musicality, marching precision, and crowd engagement.

This year's honor is especially prestigious because this was the first year the Rose Festival Grand Floral and Starlight Parades were combined!

We would be remiss to not include the participation of the HHS Cheerleaders, which teamed up with the Band to add energy and school spirit to the evening's performance.

Hockinson’s music and cheer programs and student transportation to events like the Starlight Parade are made possible thanks to voter-approved local EP&O levy funding. So thank you, Hockinson community, for making this opportunity possible. And congratulations to Mr. Corey McEnry, HHS Band Director, and our Band students: You deserve the limelight for making the most of this opportunity!