By day's end Monday, American Fork High school was achingly far from its goal of raising $250,000 to send its marching band to Indiannapolis for the Nov. 11-14 Bands of America Grand National Championships.

But the band, and its booster parents, have until the close of the school today to raise the rest. And these teens aren't exactly known for folding in the face of adversity.

"It's an incredible group of kids. They're amazing and their show is fantastic," said Randy Parker, the father of one of the players. "I've been working all day long and their music just goes through my head. I find it hard to think about anything else."

This fall, the marching band survived a bus accident, which claimed the life of woodwind instructor Heather Christensen, only to later catalog an unprecedented winning streak.

Three days after the tragedy, the band won the Rocky Mountain Regional competition in Provo. On Friday, they won the state championship. And On Saturday, they took first place in a Western regional competition.

It was there that the director of the Grand National Championships approached the American Fork team and said, "This is a competitive show. You ought to come to nationals. We've got a spot for you there," said Alpine School District spokeswoman Rhonda Bromley.

The band's theme is an emotional tribute to the generation of Americans who grew up during the Great Depression and went on to fight in World War II. Band members have been wearing their grandparents' dog tags around their necks while playing and recently added a dog tag in memory of Christensen, who died while trying to keep a bus carrying about 50 students from crashing.

American Fork has competed in the nationals before, but hadn't planned on making the trek this year, due to the recession.

Getting there will require lots of cash and making travel arrangements for 225 band members who must arrive this week and be ready to perform on Friday. The band's travel request will also require approval of the district's school board, which meets tonight. Parents met late Monday to take a straw poll on their level of interest.

"I can't think of circumstances where a parent would say no, unless it's a financial hardship," said Parker, who has offered to pay his daughter's way.

The school's finance secretary fielded countless phone calls from well-wishers on Monday, logging about $7,000 in pledges, said Bromley, who noted the band's foundation may have had more luck.

"We wanted to handle it through official channels so that if the band doesn't end up going, we'll be able to track donations and issue refunds," said Bromley.

The school will continue to take donations through the end of school today.

Grand Nationals is the premier marching band event in the nation. This year, 90 bands will compete at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. Only 12 will make it to the final round on Saturday.

The annual event also features exhibition performances by outstanding college bands from across the country, according to the Bands of America Web site.

kstewart@sltrib.com