The holiday season is a time for joy and togetherness, and some exceptional Raiders have dedicated themselves to spreading this spirit to communities in need. On Saturday, December 16th, the Traveling Raider Blues Band gave their time to the residents of the Preserve at Palm Aire, a retirement community in Broward County. The ensemble performed beloved Christmas classics in refreshing jazz style to around forty elderly residents. Selections included the songs Two Front Teeth, Up on the Housetop, Winter Wonderland, and Avenue Swing. The performance brought back pleasant memories for some of the residents of the Preserve, such as Midge Attis, who reminisced about her son’s involvement in his high school jazz band, saying that she “never missed one of his performances.”

The group was headed by Miles Monahan, a junior percussionist at St. Thomas Aquinas. Two other juniors also comprised the band: Lucy Rappaport on the guitar and Sophia Oganezov on the saxophone. Additionally, senior Stefan Miller played the trumpet in the group. Monahan states that moving forward, the Traveling Raider Blues plans to visit the Palm Aire community more in 2024.