The band trip to Florida has been a staple band tradition for numerous years. Butat the latest board meeting, it was announced the trip would be canceled.. Many students, especially seniors, were looking forward to going.
In November 2019, all band students were required to vote on a spring break trip location, which included Texas, Colorado and Florida. The student, like previous years, chose Florida due to the fact they would be able to go to Disney World and Universal Studios.
However, the outbreak of coronavirus forced the band directors to reconsider. Director Drew Anderson highlighted the primary reasons for canceling the trip rather than postponing it., “Through a survey of all the parents and students who decided to go on the trip, we saw that a majority did not feel safe,” said Anderson.
Anderson also cited the refund policy as another deciding factor. “Regardless of how the COVID situation is in March in Florida, we decided it best not to risk the safety of students. Also, if the trip were to be postponed, the fee would have to increase by around 500 dollars for everyone which is not ideal,” claimed Anderson.
With all the additional safety guidelines and risk factors, the band directors agreed the price of the trip outweighed the need, something which disappointed many seniors.
Senior, Genevieve Mcshane felt upset the trip might get canceled, having had lots of fun when she went her freshman year. “ I don’t feel comfortable being on a bus with 40 other people for 22 hours, so when it comes to safety I would feel better if the trip got canceled,” McShane explained.
As the announcement of the trip’s cancellation will be made official by October 5, many band families are left wondering how much of their down payment will be refunded. According to Anderson, families will be refunded 75-85% of their payments. While they lose approximately 200-300 dollars, families understand that given the current circumstances, it would be more detrimental for the students to travel to Florida.
While the traditional band trip occurs every four years, band directors are in contact with travel companies about potentially conducting a trip for next year’s senior class.
