MESA, AZ (CBS5) - Faculty and band members of Mesa Mountain View High School received a huge surprise Thursday morning when they found out they were chosen to participate in Macy's 2013 Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Students hugged and cheered at the secretly planned ceremony, reveling in the moment that their school was only 1 of 11 chosen nationwide to display their talents in the highly attended and massively popular holiday television spectacle. The Toro marching band will help kick off the internationally iconic event, that yearly marks the start of the holiday season.

More than 3.5 million spectators are expected to attend with more than 50 million viewers worldwide.

From: kpho.com