Eastern Pulaski School Board Approves 2020 Choir/Band Trip to New York

Winamac Community High School

Winamac High School band and choir students will once again have the chance to visit New York City next year, but the proposal drew some concerns during last week’s Eastern Pulaski School Board meeting. The trips are typically offered once every four years, with the next one scheduled for June of 2020.

Students will have the chance to see a Broadway show, attend a performance of the New York Philharmonic or Metropolitan Opera, put on their own performance, and visit several of the city’s tourist attractions. Band Director Elaina Sutton told board members that the 9/11 memorials will be a big focus.

She said the school has decided to go with a different tour company, to avoid some issues experienced during the 2016 trip. The estimated cost will be $965 per student, but Sutton warned that could go up if a second bus is needed. However, board members said they were against limiting the number of students.

Board Member Rob Zeider, himself a former band director, voiced concerns with the tour company the school is working with, saying they promise more than they deliver. Zeider also worried about the number of items that still have to be worked out, such as the number of nights that will be spent in the hotel and the restaurants where students will eat.

He said he would feel better having a more precise idea of what the cost will be for students, before acting on the proposal. However, he and the other board members approved all of last week’s field trip requests unanimously.