Redevelopment of the Band and Choir Trip

The band and choir trip to Disney World has been rescheduled to next spring.

Eleanor McCalla

Band Director Jarrod O’Donnell has a picture of the last band and choir trip hanging in his classroom. In June of 2016, the students went to New York City, New York.

Eleanor McCalla, Staff Writer

On March 12, Disney World announced that it would be closing due to an outbreak of coronavirus, and the music trip to Florida was consequently canceled. Sophomore Nina Welter was at dress rehearsal for musical when she received the news. “It was so sad,” she said. “It was devastating to open the email.”

Disney World has reopened since then, and the band and choir trip has been rescheduled to the spring of 2021. Tentatively, students will fly to Florida on March 20 and return on March 25. What the trip will look like is “still up in the air” according to band director Jarrod O’Donnell.

One of the biggest changes to the trip is that masks will be required at all times while in the park. According to Disney World’s website, “Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) and Cast Members.”

Another difference is that the students in the class of 2024, this year’s freshman, are allowed to attend the upcoming trip, even though they were middle schoolers when the trip was originally scheduled. Many students in the class of 2020 who planned on attending last year’s trip are unable to attend now due to college, so space opened up for the class of 2024.

O’Donnell said, “we’re still up in the air on what Disney will let us do. There are no park hoppers right now, so we might just have to stay in one park all day.” Although the trip will differ from its original plan, Welter has confidence that it will be fun nonetheless. She thinks the trip will be an “exciting experience.”