Teachers, community members get involved
(RISING SUN, Ind.) – Rising Sun High School has given band members a unique experience over the years of traveling to New York City.
It was paused due to the pandemic in 2020 and so was the annual fundraiser that helps pay for it.
The Rising Sun band has also experienced quite a bit of turnover as they have had three band directors within four years,
There was a good chance that the Shiner Pride Marching band trip to New York would never happen again.
LeeAnn Wallick, who served as the booster president for the band, began collecting prices for the trip and found out it would cost about $1,100 for each student to go.
She also found out the the charter bus would come at a cost of $14,000 which would also increase costs.
“We are a small, quaint community and quickly decided that, with this price, we would be alienating more than 50% of our students,” she said.
Wallick and the booster club had a decision to make. Do they cancel this trip and try again in 4 years? Do they just take those who can afford it? Do they get creative?
“It was determined that we weren't ready to give up but the price needed to be $900 or less per student to try to allow an opportunity,” she recalled.
That’s when Rising Sun superintendent Branden Roeder got involved and offered a solution. His idea was to use school buses to eliminate transportation costs.
It would not be ideal but it would help make the trip possible. However, things took an inspirational turn in early January when Roeder called Wallick back.
“Branden called me at work and said "so we have been talking in the office and we know this bus idea isn't ideal. When is the very last date you can book a charter bus?" It was less than 2 weeks. Branden responded with "give me a week. I think I can find sponsors to cover this charter bus,” Wallick recalled.
Within 48 hours, he told Wallick to book the charter bus. Within those 48 hours, he had found enough sponsors to commit to 75 percent of the charter cost. The community support immediately lowered the student cost to $750.
The band also received a gift when former band parent Mike Nowlin passed away. His family had a memorial donated to the Shiner Pride Marching Band and they asked if they could use the funds to help a student who would otherwise not be able to attend the trip.
We identified two students who had made all the efforts to raise funds but were still coming up short,” Wallick said.
They were immediately able to write ‘PAID IN FULL’ on those accounts.
The majority of the students could afford to go on the trip. But help was still needed to get a few more students on the bus to NYC.
The band reached out to an American Legion Post and the students were invited to present their request and overview of their trip. They met again two weeks later and received and received an additional $2500.
“This combines with $1000 that past band parents raised during the Navy Bean Festival selling lemonade shake-ups,” Wallick said.
However, there were two students who still hadn’t been able to raise the funds to go on the trip.
A retired teacher and local business owner reached out to see if any students needed assistance. That person helped fund the trip for one student, and then had a friend who helped cover the costs of the last remaining student.
“This is the point in the story that I can tell you that the Shiner Pride Marching Band will be taking on New York City in April with 100% of its students,” Wallick said “For many of these students, this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that would have never happened if not for the generosity of this community.”
The students will be attending a Broadway production of Hadestown, performing in front of the Statue of Liberty, visiting the 9/11 Museum and Memorial, Time Square, Chinatown and more.
“It has been awe inspiring to be a part of this. What felt like an impossibility a year ago is now a reality. Outside of this story, there have been countless phone calls of individual families who have sent a child's, a child they do not even know, payment because these are our children,” said Wallick.
She says she has also had calls asking if any of the students need luggage, money for shoes or nice clothes for Broadway. The students will depart from Rising Sun and head toward the Big Apple on April 18.
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