We have a lot of different activities going on this weekend. Some have been on the calendar for a while, like the Fort Ligonier Days parade, and some are more recent additions!
This morning, we received a phone call from WTAE asking if we would be able to perform for their “Band of the Week” feature early Friday morning. It didn’t take long to make the arrangements after that. Here are the details:
Thursday evening after band practice, everybody will need to take their uniforms home. We will also load large instruments into the school’s truck for overnight storage at Offutt Field. Everybody will need to report *IN UNIFORM* to Offutt Field no later than 5:30 AM on Friday morning. Start making carpool arrangements now! Some parents have asked if they are permitted to stay and watch the band that morning — absolutely! And if parents want to stay and take your son or daughter back to school after the newscast, that is fine too.
We will warm up after 5:30 and prepare to go on air. We will be on the air from 6-7 AM during every sports report. If you have seen this on the Channel 4 newscast, you know that it’s really neat to see and hear the bands during the news. Everybody is really excited for our performance. It’s not very often that we get this kind of publicity!
At 7 AM, we will pack up and head to school. If students normally drive themselves, they may do so, but the district will be providing bus transportation to school that morning. Teachers at GSMS and GSHS have already been notified that all 8-12th grade band students will be arriving late to school, so students do not need to worry that they will get in any trouble and they will not need to bring an excuse from home. After they arrive at school they can change into their school clothes and go to 1st block.
We will be playing at Highlands that night, which is around an hour away from GS, so report time is 4:30 PM. If students need to stay after school, they may do so in the band room. Maybe we will put a movie on the big screen — this would also be a good time for a nap!!
Saturday morning, report time is 8 AM. Students will NOT be coming back to the school between the Ligonier Parade and the St. Vincent band festival, so they need to prepare accordingly. The parade begins at 11 AM, and we will not know our performance order until we arrive in Ligonier. After the parade, we will travel to St. Vincent and eat lunch. The GSBPA is paying for the students’ lunches at the St. Vincent student cafeteria, so they will not need to worry about bringing money for lunch. The band festival begins at 2 PM, and there are only a couple of bands performing there, so it will not be a long festival. Keep an eye on Twitter (@gsbands) for dismissal time.
Our students have really done a great job of representing their school, their community and their families this year and we are very proud of them for being recognized so much lately! It is all because of their hard work and dedication!
If anybody has questions about this weekend, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs. West.
