Pay It Forward: Frenship junior to perform in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - You may have seen this student performing in the band as a part of the color guard for Frenship High School. She’s a junior and has been a part of the group since her freshman year.

“I wanted to be on the field with my siblings on the football field, because my brother was, as I said, a percussionist. And then my sister was a varsity trainer,” Scout Sonnenberg, a Junior at Frenship High School, said.

Sonnenberg auditioned to be in the 2019 Macy’s Great American Marching Band, a part of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. After submitting her audition video to parade organizers, she later got the word that she was in.

“I don’t think I quit screaming for like, a week. Honestly, it was insane to me that I made it,” Sonnenberg said. "I seriously can’t explain how excited I am to go.”

On Saturday she will head to New York City to start her training.

“They teach us the choreography for the show that week,” said Sonnenberg. “We also want to work out what makes the in New York we’re going to play a Broadway musical, which I’m very excited about."

Joining Sonnenberg is her teacher of the visually impaired. She needs someone to be her eyes because she has congenital glaucoma, which is malignant and progressive.

Sonnenberg has no sight in her right eye and the little sight she has in her left eye is very blurry. As a result, she also suffers from photophobia.

“I have severe eye fatigue. My eyes don’t transition when light changes, so I have to wear hats and sunglasses to do that,” Sonnenberg said. “So, my visions always kind of changing it really depends on the settings I’m in.”

Sonnenberg was nominated for this week’s pay it forward by one of her former teachers, Kristina Janeway.

“She’s determined, she’s so smart, so intelligent and very gifted artist as well, and just this precious soul," Janeway said. "You know that God’s got something big in store for her.”

Sonnenberg is one of the 30 color guard members in the Macy’s Great American Marching Band and only one of six students selected from the state of Texas.

You can follow Sonnenberg as she travels through NYC on Facebook, click here for the group.

Sonnenberg is selling unique keychains and is making custom art to help raise funds for her trip. You can find her art page, here. WesTex Federal Credit Union paid it forward to Scout to help with those expenses.

You can watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade next Thursday, Nov. 28 on KCBD NewsChannel 11, click here for their website. The parade starts at 9 a.m. and lasts until noon.

For those who would like to nominate someone for Pay It Forward, they can fill out the form at KCBD.com.

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