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Posts Tagged ‘GHS band trip’

Wordless Wednesday: The Whirlwind GHS Trip to NYC

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

One of the things I love the most about living in NYC is getting to see the reactions of people experiencing Manhattan for the first time. It really is an awe- inspiring place with so much to see and do it is impossible to even scratch the surface on a three day trip. My former high school where I taught at, Gloucester High School, arrived last Thursday and did their very best to squeeze in as many activities as possible in three days. I would say that they were incredibly successful! I can only imagine that there were some pretty tired kids and some worn out feet on the bus ride home =) It was wonderful to be able to spend some time with a great group of teens and some cherished friends. There really is nothing better than getting lost in the energy and excitement of the chatter about New York, it reminds me of how truly lucky I am to live in such a special place. Thanks for letting me hang out with you- GHS music gang, you are an awesome group and you also made me remember how fortunate I was to teach at the beyond awesome GHS. Go Gators! (Here are just a few pics from their MANY adventures, I could barely keep up!)

View of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry

Stopping for some refreshments at Georgetown Cupcake- YUMMY!

Tough time to be in New York when you are from Ottawa =(

The beautiful foyer of Radio City Music Hall

Now that's a stage!

The NFL Draft in progress while we were at Radio City Music Hall

GHS Performance on the USS Intrepid. Wow! What an experience!

Fighter aircraft in the background, no big deal 😉

Come back and visit soon!

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A Big Old GHS Reunion in the Happiest Place in the World!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on May 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

It has been almost a year since I tearfully said goodbye to friends, colleagues and students at GHS and embarked on my family move/adventure to NYC. So… when my crazy friends (see below) and former teaching buds suggested that I meet them to help chaperone this year’s band trip to Disney World, I began to look online for cheap flights to sunny Orlando.

Brad and Jason, being Brad and Jason!

After a bit of convincing from Ron (yes, the kids would be fine) I booked my flights and started to get excited about a trip to the magical world of Disney. I was super psyched to meet up with my friends and also I really wanted to see some of my former students. It had been awhile since I had the time to just hang out with teens. I missed hearing about the latest trends and about the state of the world from their point of view. It is always refreshing talking to the next generation of adults. Personally I think if we took more time to listen to the voices of high school students our world would be a much better place. But hey, that is just my two cents 😉

Anyhoo, I digress. So, I hopped on a plane and met up with the gang from GHS who had just survived a 27 hour bus ride from Canada’s capital. The students were super pumped to get going and head off to the rides at Hollywood Studios. The chaperones were equally excited and we started off our four day trip with the fast and furious, loud, Aerosmith blaring “Rockin’ Roller Coaster”. This ride set the pace for the rest of the trip as we jam packed tons of awesomeness into four days at Disney.

The whole gang in front of the Magic Kingdom

We visited all of the theme parks except Blizzard Beach and the band even squeezed in a fabulous tutorial session with the Disney Gang and an incredible performance at Epcot. My favorite moments included watching the students relive their inner childhood wonder at the Fantasmic fireworks, listening to the GHS performance under a cloudless blue sky and endless hilarious moments with old (and new) friends. I am not sure my entertainment center will ever be the same 😉

GHS performance at Epcot

Magic Kingdom

Mickey!

Not so funny to a New Yorker 😉

Lightning McQueen

It was a great trip. Most importantly it reminded of how much fun it is when you just let yourself act like a child for a bit. That really is the magic of Disney, being able to explore being a kid all over again. It is also a pretty magical place when the children having meltdowns are not yours 😉

I do miss working with students, a lot. And truth be told, I miss GHS. There are a fabulous group of people there- staff and students. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to hang with them again. Thanks to Stinky and Brad for the opportunity, Typhoon Sads for being a good sport, and to Joan and Heather, for embracing the wild and crazy hair. Most especially, thank you to the spectacular band gang for welcoming me with open arms and being such fun! Miss you guys already =)

The Tower Gang- LOVE

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