It’s 4:30 am and students throughout Verona are slowly rising out of their beds and getting ready to go to school; this is clearly no ordinary day.  The reason they are up so early is that today is the day of the Music Department’s annual trip and this year they are going to Sandusky, Ohio.  Some would say that Ohio sounds like a boring and dismal place to visit but anyone that went on this trip would tell you different.

From the start the trip was shaping up to be exciting, especially for the members of the senior class.  For the past two years the seniors have gone to Virginia Beach for the music trip and they were very ready for a change.  Some students were so excited that when they arrived at school at 5:15 am cries of, “O-HI-O,” could be heard as they gleefully bounded into the auditorium.

The buses pulled away at 6 a.m. and the trip began with excited chatter and many people taking naps in order to make up for the lack of sleep from the previous night.  In order to pass the time games were played, karaoke was sung and students talked eagerly about what the hotel would look like and how the trip was going to go.

When students arrived at the hotel they were told that this particular place had the world’s largest indoor waterpark and they were able to run around there for the next few hours until they had to report for dinner.  Many students took advantage of this opportunity and spent the next two hours gallivanting about the waterpark and exploring their new surroundings.

The next day the students boarded their buses and embarked on a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland where the Jazz band would perform.  Arriving in Cleveland, students observed the city to be a little “bleak” and “sad” but they were excited nonetheless.  As the members of the Jazz band prepared for their performance the other students were allowed to explore the museum and many were in awe of the volume of musical artifacts present in this building.  The Jazz Band began their performances on a stage in the lobby of this iconic building and drew an audience of both VHS students as well as other patrons of the museum that day.

The Jazz band performed Your Mama Don’t Dance, Stairway to Heaven, Mustang Sally and Get Ready.  Their performance delighted the audience and even captivated students on a field trip visiting the museum to sit and clap along with the familiar tunes being played.

Shortly after the Jazz Band’s performance the students were off again to perform at Oak Harbor High School.  Here, the VHS Chorus, Jazz Chorus, Concert Band and the Jazz Band all performed.  As their day was winding to a close the students relaxed on the bus while they were taken back to their hotel to relax and explore all the hotel had to offer.  Many students relaxed by playing games, hanging out in other people’s rooms, going to Club Switch and taking pictures of the hotel.

For their last full day in Ohio the students traveled to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio for a day of fun as well as to hear their scores from the previous day’s performances.  As soon as they entered the park the students branched off to go on rides and have a good time.  The members of the band and chorus could be seen going on roller coasters and having an excellent time.

When asked how they felt about this year’s trip many students responded, “BEST TRIP EVER!”  From the hotel where they stayed, to the fun and successful performances, to the shenanigans of the weekend, students considered this year’s trip one of the best they had ever been on.