In 1961, Julian Ako was a high school senior and leader of the Kamehameha Schools Band when he marched in John F. Kennedy’s inaugural parade.

Fifty-two years later, Ako is high school principal at Kamehameha’s Kapalama campus and is helping to chaperone a group of 96 Kamehameha students participating in today’s inaugural parade.

Being back in Washington, D.C., for an inauguration certainly brings back memories, Ako said.

“It’s very nostalgic for me,” he said. “I’m just praying for good weather.”

This is the third time Kamehameha has been invited to march for a president.

In addition to the 1961 inauguration, Kamehameha marched in 1993 for President Bill Clinton.

Punahou School will also represent Hawaii today in the inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Kamehameha students arrived Saturday, and the following day were practicing on a soccer field in Arlington, Va.

On Sunday night they were among the guests of honor at the inaugural ball organized by the Hawaii State Society of Washington, D.C.

The students are blown over by the experience, Ako said.

Kale Kanaeholo, 17, said the gravity of the experience hasn’t quite hit him yet.

“The trip itself is a milestone,” he said. “I’m really part of the legacy and the tradition.”