Ohio Sen. George Lang (R-West Chester Twp.) said he was contacted by a member of Vance’s team who wanted to talk to someone in the Middletown City Schools District. Lang gave the person the cell phone number of Randy Bertram, the district’s treasurer and a good friend.
Bertram then forwarded the information to MHS Principal Carmella Cotter and that’s when the Vance team invited the Middies.
“My head is spinning,” Cotter said with a laugh.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
She called performing in the parade a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience and a learning opportunity for the students.
“We are so excited, absolutely thrilled,” Cotter told the Journal-News. “We want to show him (Vance) how proud we are that someone from Middletown, someone part of the Middie family, that he’s going to be vice president.”
Cotter expects about 170 people — members of the band, cheerleaders and adult chaperones — to take charter buses to Washington. She’s still working with a travel agency on the itinerary.
She hopes the entire trip is paid through donations because there’s not enough time for the students to raise the funds.
Lang said he and his wife, Debbie, are donating $1,000 toward fundraising efforts. He encouraged other Butler County politicians to donate.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones announced he was donating $10,000 out of his campaign fund and said his office would provide law enforcement security if necessary.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Jones is requesting local businesses make donations to support these students so they can make this trip.
“When I went to school, I didn’t have any money and definitely couldn’t afford a trip to Washington D.C.” Jones said in a statement. “So, I’m making sure these kids can participate in an experience of a lifetime.”
Those interested in donating can mail checks payable to Middletown City School District. 1 Donham Plaza, 4th Floor, Middletown, Ohio 45042. Write “Inaugural Parade” in the memo line.
On Friday, the city of Middletown also announced a $10,000 donation for the band’s trip.
“Vice President-elect Vance’s rise to national leadership is inspiring and a truly significant achievement,” Acting City Manager Nathan Cahall said. “It is an honor for the City of Middletown to contribute to the band’s trip to celebrate this milestone. A celebration of Vance’s inauguration is a celebration of Middletown.”
Vance, a graduate of Middletown High School, will be sworn-in on Jan. 20 on the steps of the United States Capitol. Vice President-elect Vance will become the first vice president from Middletown and the first to represent the state. He will be the third vice president born in Ohio, but the other two born here represented other states in politics, according to city administrators.
Middletown plans to feature the vice president-elect in the January edition of of he city newsletter and there are also plans to honor the vice president-elect with signage across the city.
Vance, 40, graduated from MHS in 2003. When he was running with Donald Trump, Vance made his first solo rally July 22 inside the high school.
He rose to national prominence in 2016 with the publication of his best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was adapted into a Netflix film in 2020.
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