Hendricken’s Kwity Paye (’17) is scheduled to play in the nationally televised Under Armour All-America High School Football game on New Year’s Day after winning a nationwide competition for the final two roster spots.  This prestigious honor will allow him the opportunity to play alongside 90 of the top high school football players in America in Orlando, FL on ESPN at 1 p.m.

Officials representing the #DreamFearlessly Fan Vote Competition, Under Armour and American Family Insurance, the sponsors of the event, visited Hendricken to officially present Kwity with his game jersey and InterSport filmed a two-minute video that will appear during the game.

The 6-foot-4, 237-pound senior defensive end and running back was recently selected as the RI Gatorade Football Player of the Year, the Super Bowl MVP, the state’s 2015 Lineman of the Year and a First-Team All-State honoree.  Kwity will wear #41 during the All-America game.

Meanwhile on the opposite coast, Hendricken alumnus, Jonathan Duranleau (’16) and senior Ethan Lyons (’17) will march in the 128th Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California on Monday, January 2 after being selected by Music for All to be members of the Bands of America (BOA) Honor Band in the 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade. The Rose Bowl Parade has honored a "Never on Sunday" tradition since 1893, which is the reason the celebration is taking place on January 2nd rather than the traditional New Year’s Day parade.  

Jonathan and Ethan, mellophone and snare drum, respectively, will spend a week in southern California, where they will have rehearsals, performances at the Tournament of Roses Bandfest and Disneyland, special activities and a featured appearance in the world-famous parade. The 128th Rose Parade presented by Honda themed “Echoes of Success” will take place at 8 a.m. (PST). The 5.5-mile parade will be broadcast on ABC, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, KTLA (Tribune), NBC, RFD-TV and Univision. The Parade is also seen in more than 200 international territories and countries. Magnificent floral floats, spirited marching bands and talented equestrian units anchor the traditional, two-hour spectacle along Pasadena’s famed Colorado Boulevard. 

The BOA Honor Band is a 300-piece national ensemble with winds, percussion and a flag and dance team.  “To be selected for this opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for students and a testimony to their excellence and achievements,” says Eric Martin, Music for All President and CEO. “Jonathan and Ethan will be two of only 300 members chosen to be part of the Bands of America Honor Band, and their participation deserves the admiration and support of everyone in their community. The Rose Parade is one of our country’s national pageantry treasures, and the 2017 Honor Band members will be ambassadors of America’s bands, and of their states and communities.” 

This will mark the fourth time Music for All’s Bands of America Honor Band has performed in the Tournament of Roses Parade.