Sidney High choir to travel to California competition

The Sidney High School choir will be sojourning to Los Angeles in May for a music competition, performances and sightseeing.

Choir teacher David Mead said he plans big trips for the students every few years.

"I try to go every four years with the choir to a competition," he said. "The last place we went was Chicago, and before that, it was New York – and we've gone to Washington, D.C., Kansas City and to Denver."

Travelling out of state allows the choir to measure itself against national competition while providing new experiences for students, he explained.

"And we've always done well," Mead said.

On previous trips, Sidney students have taken first in their division and been named best all-around group.

"I've always been real proud of the kids when they go and compete," Mead said.

Forty-four students, along with 10 chaperones, will take part in this year's trip. The 5-day, 4-night trip is scheduled for May 26-30.

In addition to participating in the Parks Competition at Disneyland, the choir will have an opportunity for another public performance. Students will also receive a guided tour of Los Angeles and visit local landmarks, including the Getty Museum, Venice Beach, Hollywood Boulevard and take a VIP tour of Warner Bros. Studios.

Each student participating in the trip is responsible for coving their share of the costs, Mead said, and a fundraiser dinner is planned for Saturday.

"It is a soup and chili dinner, and it will be in the commons area [at Sidney High School] during the basketball games on Saturday," he explained.

Soup or chili with a drink and dessert will cost $7 and be available from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

While planning began in earnest earlier this school year for the trip, Mead said he had been thinking about it for years.

"As soon as I got back from Chicago, which was four years ago, I talked to the then seventh graders who were in choir the next year and I actually kind of proposed the trip to them," Mead explained, "because I knew they'd be up in the high school at that time."

Looking back at previous choir trips, Mead said students have always been very well behaved while travelling.

"I've had zero problems on these trips," he said. "The kids know that we're going there for a reason, they work hard in class, and I've just never had any problems."

Former students have recalled to Mead the lasting impressions garnered while travelling to out-of-state competitions, he said.

"I have kids that are 30 years old that went with us to Washington, D.C., or New York City who will even today get back with me and tell me what kind of experience it was," he said. "You see the Lincoln Memorial on TV and you see it in all these iconic movies and then suddenly you're standing in front of it."

While in New York, a previous group of Sidney students sang in a church located across the street from the site of the World Trade Center. The church was the only structure in the area to survive the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Mead said.

"Those are experiences that are once in a lifetime," he said.