As a band parent, I think perhaps, that some of the misinformation given to you should be corrected/explained.

1. The students will depart on Sunday, March 16. They will return on Saturday, March 22. They do not have school 2 of those days (Easter break) so, at most, the students are missing 3 days of school.
2. During this time, they will spend 2 days on the bus.
3. They will spend 2 - 3 days practicing and competing.
4. They will play in the park 2 days while they are there.
5. The trip has traditionally been every three years, not every other year as you stated - with the logic being that there would always be 1/3 of the band that would be seasoned and understand how to compete in such a venue.
6. The Band Aides do not intend on paying for the chaperones trip. That was never stated and it is not the intention. The chaperones will be parents paying their own way and helping with the students.

I would ask how this is different from the National Honor Society trip to Chicago - or the French Club trip to Paris - or the Japanese trip to Japan? In each case, the student has a learning experience but also some enjoyment. And what about the athletic competitions where our students must miss school in order to travel and compete in tournaments?

And I would be willing to bet if you add up all of the class time missed by any of the sports teams - golf, soccer, tennis, etc. - to attend regular season games over the same three year period that it would equal if not exceed the 13 hours of class time that these students will miss over those two days. 13 hours - once every three years.

These trips help our students mature and grow, both personally and musically. They work harder and train harder than most people can imagine. And, if you have seen them compete, you can see the rewards for their hard work.

Unlike most other school districts where the band students annually take a trip to compete (and play), our students do not. Do I begrudge them 2 days of "play" every 3 years? I don't think so. I have watched them go to a football game and perform on a Friday night to get up at 5 AM the next morning to drive to Ohio to practice and compete all day and then come home that night, arriving home at 2 AM. They go for 21 hours straight - as parents, we have difficulty even keeping up with their energy levels. They work hard - and they will work hard at Disney to stretch and show why they are, truly, a top-notch band.

The School Board requires that , with very few exceptions, our students do not miss school because of competitions. This past year, due to transportation difficulties and delays, our students returned from a trip at 1 AM Monday morning. It was an unexpected delay and the commitment had been that our students would be back in school Monday morning no matter what. And - in keeping with the agreement made - our students were NOT permitted to miss school or come in late that morning. So our students got home at 1:30 and most were able to get 4 or so hours of sleep before they were up and running to class again. Neither the Band Aides nor the School Board nor the Band Director allow our students to "frivolously" take time off during the school year.

Norwin band has a fine traditional of bringing honor to the district through its competition. The value of the educational experience gained by the students is evidenced by the number of students that successfully go on to become music teachers throughout the region - this year, 2 of our 19 graduating seniors (10%) will go on in Music Education.

Do you know that the Band Aides raise ALL of the money for our children's competition? We do NOT spend taxpayer money for our weekend competitions. We pay the gas, the drivers, the food. Could you imagine telling the sports teams that they must pay for their own equipment AND the gas to go to their away games AND the bus drivers to get them there?

Do you realize that the Band Aides raise money to pay the staff that teach these students (the school district only pays for the 3 primary teachers but none of the special staff)?

You do not ever see us standing in front of a store asking for money - every dollar we raise, we raise by our hard work. That is the fine tradition of the Band Aides. We work hard to enable our children to grow and to have an educational experience that will be with them the rest of their lives.

Now that the record is set straight about this trip, perhaps you will take pride when Norwin Band takes the field this fall in PA and MD - and next spring in FL - to show why "nobody does it better".

I have always enjoyed seeing the band perform. I am proud when they return with their many trophies. But it sounds like they may have a problem with "sports teams". May I remind them that a great deal of their funds are raised at a concession stand during many "sporting" events at our stadium. ALSO please remember all of these kids whether they be in the band or on a sports team are just that, KIDS. Each is a unique individual, but they all represent their school proudly no matter what group they belong to. I say "GO KNIGHTS" and yes "nobody does it better".