"When you wish upon a star..."

Last week our school band was able to make their journey to Disneyland in Southern California. This trip was the culmination of over a year of intense planning, fundraising and practicing. Through the hard work of music director David Nighswonger and the support of the Harrington school board, the band took a long, 24-hour bus ride from Harrington to Anaheim last Wednesday. Students were amazed by Los Angeles traffic, palm trees and the sheer amount of people as we made our way through the middle of the city and down to the Magic Kingdom. We were accompanied on our bus ride by parents Lonnie Soliday and Jenny Larmer, bus drivers Linda Colbert and Joel Cronrath, chaperone (and former student and band member) Dillon Haas, David Nighswonger and myself.

Friday, our first day in the park, students were able to enjoy rides, attractions and hopping between Disneyland and California Adventure. That afternoon, before taking a guided tour that shared how sound and music are used in Disneyland, we were surprised with a visit from our counselor, Ginny Lathem, who flew down to Disneyland to share the experience with us. We were all amazed and thankful for her kindness and thoughtfulness. After the guided tour, students were able to spend more time in the parks.

Saturday was our first performance on the Big Thunder Stage in Disneyland. Students were in their band outfits and were very nervous. They hadn't performed outside before and the acoustics of the park presented some new challenges. In the end, they did very well and pushed themselves to new levels. A group of students and chaperones took a drive to the beach for the afternoon. It was a rainy and cold afternoon in Anaheim, but the kids had a lot of fun playing and swimming at the beach nonetheless.

Sunday was another performance day. This time, students were at the Hollywood back lot at California Adventure. Having one performance under their belts made them more confident and relaxed, and they sounded beautiful and strong. They were all much happier and satisfied with Sunday's performance. We had to head back to Harrington on Sunday afternoon; another long, 24-hour bus ride. We all had an amazing time, but we were all ready to come home.

This trip represented a great opportunity for our students to go out and experience a much bigger world. It taught them to learn constructive self-criticism. It taught them discipline and a work ethic. It taught them to set goals and achieve them. It taught them to be accountable. It taught them about musical performance. It taught them about human relations. These are all skills that are best experienced in the real world, and though Disney has created a fantasy world for us, the experience our students had this last week was very real and very lasting.