Ooltewah student represents school in All-American band

Staff Photo by Angela Lewis/Chattanooga Times Free Press Nov 15, 2010--Philip DePrimo, right, hugs principal Mark Bean after being named as a member of the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band at Ooltewah High School Monday afternoon as his mom, Polly DePrimo, watches.

Before Philip DePrimo had gotten both arms into his new black-and-yellow jacket, his marching-band mates had started in on a rousing rendition of "Rocky Top."

DePrimo, a 17-year-old Ooltewah High School senior and French horn player, donned the jacket and matching baseball cap Monday during a ceremony celebrating his selection as a member of the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band.

"It's very exclusive, very hard to do," DePrimo said of the band. "I have to submit a video on Wednesday of the memorized opening number."

Out of more than 1,300 high school applicants, De-Primo was one of 125 band and color guard members chosen to play Jan. 8 in San Antonio, Texas, during halftime of the Army All-American Bowl.

In its 11th year, the All-American Bowl is the Army's largest public outreach effort.

"These All-Americans represent the same core values as soldiers do; they are well-rounded individuals," said Stacey Craighead, a selection tour representative.

The ceremony was the second in two years at Ooltewah, where last year football player Jacques Smith represented the school on the football field.

Principal Mark Bean joked that next year he planned to have a student from both the football team and the band chosen as All-Americans.

DePrimo's mother, Polly DePrimo, said her son was, at first, nonchalant about being chosen.

"When he told us, he pulled an index card out of his pocket and said, '[band director Joel Denton] gave this to me,'" she said. "We looked this up on the Internet and said, 'Philip, this is huge!' It was funny."

Contact Kelli Gauthier at kgauthier@timesfreepress.com or 423 757-6249. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/gauthierkelli.