THE BEAN! … Delta High School students had their picture taken in front of Chicago’s famous Bean (Cloud Gate) sculpture during their March 2022 trip to the city. (PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DELTA SCHOOLS)
By: Lindsay Phillips
Every two years, the Pike-Delta-York High School takes their band and choir students on a trip well outside of Northwest Ohio.
This year’s travel took students to Chicago, Illinois. Over the past year the band and choir had three beef fundraisers, where they sold raffle tickets and winners received a quarter of beef.
Students also held a car wash, a mattress sale and a Twelve Days of Christmas Raffle with twelve Christmas baskets.
On March 10, 2022, seventy-two students, sixteen parent chaperones, Band Director Amy Bostwick and Choir Director Alexandria Lacey travelled in shuttle busses to Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop, where they stayed for three days while touring and performing in Chicago.
According to Amy Bostwick, the purpose of the trip is “to give the students the opportunity to perform outside of their community and experience the world on a larger stage.”
The choir got the opportunity to perform ninety-four stories up on the Observation Deck at the John Hancock Building, where they performed Joseph Martin’s “Come to the Music,” Amy F. Bernon’s “She Sings,” and Kenneth Riggs’ “The Old Mill.”
For fun while they were there, students got to see Chicago’s Navy Pier and Millennium Park. They also visited the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium.
The trips itinerary also included, shopping on the Magnificent Mile, seeing “The Blue Man” group live, and watching a Grammy winning Broadway Show called, “Hadestown.”
While in the city the band and choir class enjoyed dinner at four-stared restaurant Pinstripes, and Giordano’s Chicago Pizza.
Bostwick stated, “One of the highlights was the size of the city, and the quality of entertainment is so much greater in a large city.”
Before heading back to Ohio, the Delta High School Band performed in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, near the traditionally green dyed river.
The band performed Chicago’s, “25 or 6 to 4,” Caroline O’Connor’s, “All That Jazz,” Claude T. Smith’s, “Declaration Overture,” and Larry Daehn’s, “As Summer was Just Beginning.”
The students, directors and chaperones arrived safely home at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night.
Lindsay can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
TRIP TO CHICAGO … The Delta High School Marching Band took part in Chicago’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, a well-attended event every year, and quite an experience for the students.