Walled Lake Central Drummer Picked for All-American Band

Patch regularly spotlights young people in the West Bloomfield community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome. Today we introduce the latest Whiz Kids:

Michael Rockwell

• Age: 18
• School: Walled Lake Central High School
• Achievement: This talented teen drummer living in Wixom was among 125 seniors nationwide picked to perform with the 2013 All-American Marching Band at a nationally televised football game Jan. 5 in San Antonio, TX. The event in the Alamodome is the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, an annual East-West showcase of top high school football players which also brings together the best of the musicians and color guard members. Michael was one of five bass drummers chosen last August and is currently a section leader in the battery. The U.S. Army funds Michael's trip to Texas, where he joins former All-American and 2012 West Bloomfield High School graduate Zachary Helm, one of a half-dozen collegiate cadets and band veterans working with high school marching band members.
• Key to awesomeness: Michael has a great deal of respect for those he currently plays with and those who came before him on the two-time state champion Walled Lake Central Viking Marching Band. He said that as a freshman student, he admired then-senior Nathan Pernick, a fellow All-American. To follow in the footsteps of Pernick and other Vikings on the All-American team is a "dream come true."
  
  Michael is similarly excited to play with his peers, using the opportunity to admire his teammates' talent and effort. "It's unique," he said, "Everyone here really wants to be here and they give it their all. It's humbling." 
  
  Each student is a marching band section leader. Michael, who has played in the percussion section since sixth grade, also performs in the Winter Drumline at WLC and the Madison Scouts, a world-renowned, competitive junior drum corps based in Madison, WI.
  
  He said he hopes to play drums "as long as possible" and to attend the University of Michigan as a biology student. 

Do you know a local young person who deserves applause for academic, artistic or athletic achievements, or perhaps volunteer activities? We want to tell these stories.

Email nominations to local editor Tim Rath at tim.rath@patch.com, provide the information shown above and include a photo with names and ages.