by Monica Brewer

Every four years, band students have gone on a trip.  They raise funds via the spaghetti supper and patron tickets.  This year, the trip that got the most votes and won by a landslide was New York City, New York.  There’s a little bit of a difference this year with this trip: choir kids are also going on this trip along with band students to explore what the Big Apple has to offer.

This is the first big trip for them.  Band teacher Jarrod O’Donnell said that “it’s something that’s been talked about” and it’s “natural to add on” since both sets of students went on the trip to Chicago last year.

The trip’s schedule has been planned.  Next year’s trip package includes walking to Planet Hollywood to meet some cast members of Saturday Night Live (if they’re available), watching a Broadway Musical, touring NBC Studios, a possible performance on the Intrepid Flight Deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, and a trip to Little Italy, lasting six days in total.  All that O’Donnell and choir teacher Jennifer Gaesser have to do is get it approved by the school board.  If approved, the cost per student of the trip, in estimate would be around $1170 to $1180, but will possibly go down if more kids register this year.

The last trip that band and choir kids have gone on was just last year to Chicago.  The year before, the band kids have gone on was three years ago in Orlando, Florida, where students went to Disneyworld to ride the rides, among other activities that were planned.  There’s no determined date yet, but it’s intention is to have the trip be during spring of 2016.