Northeastern High School Music Department Spring Tour 2009 April 2424----26262626

CLEVELAND, OH and PITTSBURGH, PA

Cleveland Skyline

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame VS.

Exciting game at Progressive Field

Pittsburgh Zoo

Cool Lunches

Fun Dinners

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December 15, 2009

Dear Students and Parents of the Northeastern High School Music Department:

It is with great excitement that we are able to announce our revised travel plans for the NHS Music Department for 2009. We are planning to take our spring tour to Cleveland, Ohio with a stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 24-26, 2009. We have been able to significantly lower the cost of our tour and we have changed the dates to better accommodate those involved in an athletic invitational or tournament. All groups will have opportunities to perform on the tour. We are working with four respected universities in the Cleveland area on performance opportunities that include adjudication and hands-on experience with university professors and students. While plans are not final, we expect to be performing at one of the following: Cleveland State University, Akron University, Kent State University, or Youngstown State University. This should be an eye-opening and very valuable musical experience for all.

As this is a “performance trip,” it is crucial that everyone possible is along to perform. We work hard to balance and blend our groups for the best possible musical sound so every person missing affects the groups overall musicality. It is our hope that with the adjustments made in the overall cost and in the dates, we have accommodated everyone as much as possible to make this a 100% participation endeavor. If, after reviewing the commitment forms, we do not have near 100% participation, there will be no trip this year. Please note that this second proposal is our final attempt at a trip presentation this school year. There have already been quite a few hours spent putting together what we have so far and we simply can’t do it again.

In addition to our performances in the Cleveland area, we are planning to visit Progressive Field for a tour and a “Cleveland Indians” baseball game, the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” and the “Great Lakes Science Center.” In Pittsburgh, we are planning to spend a nice afternoon with the animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo and take a spin around the city. We have planned what we expect to be a fascinating, fun, and rewarding tour. According to the 2005 study by international affairs publication The Economist , Cleveland and Pittsburgh rank as two of the most livable cities in the United

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States. Both are rich in culture and history and both far enough away to not be typical weekend destinations for most of us, but still close enough to be reached within a few hours travel. We feel that this trip answers the call to “go somewhere special” for those that have been anticipating a great trip for several years, but is still educationally and financially relevant, responsible, and affordable for all to attend.

The following pages include additional information on the tour including a tentative itinerary, details about some the venues, anticipated expenses, and a commitment page. We are asking each student to fill out the last page in this packet and return it by Friday, December 19 . In order to continue our planning, including receiving approvals from the Music Boosters and Northeastern School Board, we need to have definitive numbers to work with. Everyone should return the commitment page by Friday. Please contact one of us if you have any questions or concerns regarding anything contained in this packet or anything in general related to the tour.

Again, we are eagerly anticipating taking this great tour to two significant eastern US cities. We are pleased to be able to offer this tour to all of our hard working musicians. We look forward to working with you all to make it happen.

Musically Yours,

Timothy W. Howell

Brenda J. Johnson

Rebecca L. Drenchko

~~RETURN THE LAST PAGE BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19 ~~

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NHS Music Department Spring 2009 Cleveland/ Pittsburgh Tour ITINERARY

TENTATIVE

Friday, April 24 6:00am Report to NHS and load coach bus 6:30am Depart for Cleveland Lunch stop at fast food establishment en route 2:00 pm Arrive at University (to be announced) 2:30pm Performance at University 5:30pm Depart for Spaghetti Warehouse 6:30pm Dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse 7:30pm Depart for hotel in Cleveland area (to be announced) 8:30pm Check into hotel 10:30pm Room check 11:00pm Lights out!!

Saturday, April 25 7:15am Rise and Shine 8:00am Continental Breakfast at hotel 9:00am Depart for Progressive Field- Home of the Cleveland Indians 9:30am Tour of Progressive Field 10:30am Depart for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 11:00am Entrance to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1:15pm Depart for Great Lakes Science Center 1:45pm Entrance to Great Lakes Science Center including OMNIMAX presentation Lunch at Science Center (to be announced) 5:00pm Depart for Progressive Field for baseball game- Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota Twins 5:45pm Arrive at Progressive Field for game Dinner vouchers or cash out will be available at stadium 7:00pm Game start (time not yet scheduled by MLB) 10:00pm Depart for hotel 10:30pm Arrive at hotel 11:30pm Room check 12:00am Lights out!!

Sunday, April 26 8:00am Continental Breakfast at hotel 9:00am Check out of hotel 9:45am Depart for the Pittsburgh Zoo 12:30pm Tour the Pittsburgh Zoo “Zoo Bucks” will be distributed for use on lunch and souvenirs 4:00pm Depart for NHS Dinner at fast food establishment en route 9:00 Arrive at NHS

Monday, April 27 7:35am Everybody is in school- on time!! No Exceptions!!

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VENUE DETAILS

Progressive Field- Home of the “Cleveland Indians” Progressive Field (formerly known as “Jacobs Field” or just “the Jake”), is a world class facility created expressly for baseball, specifically for Cleveland. This urban ballpark and Cleveland landmark offers a fan-friendly facility within an urban environment. Progressive Field's multi-million dollar scoreboard display system includes the largest video screen in baseball and one of the first full-color display boards in Major League Baseball. Professional baseball in Cleveland is one of the city's oldest traditions, dating back to 1869. There is a passionate connection between the city of Cleveland and the Indians, as they are a study in revival. Both are working, living examples of the power of teamwork, conviction and dedication. Historians are certain to identify the year 1994 as a significant time in the renaissance of the city of Cleveland. And it is the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex, consisting of Progressive Field, the home of the Indians, and Quicken Loans Arena, the home of the CAVS, that will be remembered as the crowning jewel in the city's ever-changing urban landscape. The Cleveland Indians organization and the Gateway Economic Development Corporation worked closely to fund, design, and build a world-class facility created expressly for baseball, specifically for Cleveland, and most importantly, with the fans' "total experience" in mind. Progressive Field is an urban ballpark in the truest sense, both architecturally and aesthetically. Built within the physical boundaries of three main streets in downtown Cleveland (Ontario to the west, Carnegie to the south, and E. 9th Street to the east), Progressive Field offers a fan-friendly facility featuring an intimate environment. The seats at Progressive Field are among the most comfortable in the game with more leg room due to wider aisles. In addition, better elevation between rows means clear and unobstructed sight lines to the field. A truly unique feature at Progressive Field is the angled seating sections. Located just beyond the dugouts in both the lower and upper decks, the seats are angled 8 to 12 degrees, offering fans who sit in these sections a view of the middle of the diamond minus the crick in the neck.

Cleveland Indians -2008 3 rd place in the American League Central Division W-81 L-81 Minnesota Twins -2008 2 nd place in the American League Central Division W-88 L-75

More information at > http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame A stunning piece of daring architecture designed by internationally renowned architect I. M. Pei, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum contains equally remarkable interactive exhibits, films, videos and priceless and poignant artifacts, and serves as host of the permanent Hall of Fame exhibit. In additio n to its permanent exhibits, the Museum stages a number of temporary exhibits throughout the year, including large- scale exhibits that occupy the top two levels of the building. The Museum also produces programs for the public that include concerts, lectures, panel discussions, film series, teacher education and other events. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is situated on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, within 500 miles of 43% of the U.S. population-less than a day’s drive or an hour’s flight from many major cities in the U.S. and Canada. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a nonprofit institution, supported by public investment, corporate sponsors, private donors, its membership program and the revenues it generates at the Museum, including ticket sales and the Museum Store by FYE.

More information at > www.rockhall.com

Great Lakes Science Center and Cleveland Clinic OmniMax Theater The Great Lakes Science Center is one of America's largest interactive science museums. More than 400 exciting "hands-on" exhibits, breathtaking OMNIMAX® films, daily demonstrations and exciting educational programs show visitors the interdependency of science, environment and technology, particularly in the Great Lakes Region. Features include:

• Science Phenomena exhibits - Touch The Indoor Tornado • Environmental exhibits - Investigate The Sick Earth • Technology exhibits - Experiment at The Materials Bar • One-of-a-kind signature exhibits - The Great Lakes Situation Room - 24 computer stations and the area's largest video wall

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• Auditorium demonstration area - The Electric Theater Show , where visitors can see the power of lightning firsthand • Gund Wintergarden - a dramatic nine-story-high enclosed atrium with spectacular views of Lake Erie • The Cleveland Clinic OMNIMAX® Theater - an incredible film experience! Featuring a six story- high, domed theater with 11,600 wa tts of digital sound that makes viewers feel as if they are in the picture

More information at > http://www.greatscience.com/

Pittsburgh Zoo The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, located five miles east of downtown Pittsburgh, is a 77-acre facility that is home to thousands of animals representing hundreds of diverse species. Committed to education, research, and wildlife conservation, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is actively involved in 23 Species Survival Plans and proudly exhibits 22 threatened or endangered species. The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is one of only six major zoo and aquarium combinations in the country.

Naturalistic Habitats at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium:

• The Asian Forest - Rugged habitats are home to the endangered snow leopard, Amur tigers, the Komodo dragon, and the Amur leopard. • The African Savanna - Lions, zebras, ostrichs, black rhinos, giraffes, and elephants roam 16 acres of majestic African landscape. The thriving African elephant herd includes two new calves, both females, born less than three weeks apart in July, 2008. • The Tropical Forest Complex - A steamy indoor rainforest houses more than 90 primates from all parts of the globe, such as cotton-top tamarins, orangutans, and one of North America's largest western lowland gorilla troops. A hundred and fifty different plant species from three equatorial regions of the world create an exotic jungle environment. • African Ravine - The African painted dogs run wild in the new African Ravine. The two males and two females roam the ravine, playing, barking, and hiding in the grasses. • Bears - Colossal Kodiak bears, black bears, and spectacled bears forage through the rocky hills of the Bear Dens. The bear exhibit is the oldest in the Zoo, built during the 1930s. • The PPG Aquarium - The PPG Aquarium, which opened in June of 2000, has the theme Diversity of Water , and features state-of-the-art exhibits such as a crawl-through stingray tunnel, a two-story shark tank and unique revolving tanks (the first of their kind to be exhibited publicly). A wide array of aquatic species from a variety of watery habitats include penguins, sharks, a Pacific giant octopus, jellyfish, potbellied sea horses, an electric eel, live coral, and much more. The PPG Aquarium is Pennsylvania's only public aquarium. • Water's Edge - The Zoo's newest exhibit features polar bears, sea otters, and--in the future-- walruses. With 10 strategically placed viewing windows and two huge underwater tunnels, Water's Edge provides an opportunity to get up close and personal with these wonderful animals unmatched anywhere. • Kids Kingdom - Ranked among the top three children's zoos in the country, Kids Kingdom is the place where kids learn what it's like to be an animal by acting like one. Walk-through goat and deer yards, a sea lion pool, a netted bird enclosure, and the Animal Connections Playground allow kids to have fun while learning about wildlife. The Worlds of Discovery building features naked mole- rats, spiders, and reptiles. There's even a 40-foot bat flyway where bats fly directly past visitors separated only by strung piano wire. A walk-through aquarium features beautiful fish swimming overhead. The meerkat tunnels allow kids to burrow through and pop up in bubble windows face-to- face with furry and fun meerkats.

More information at > http://pittsburghzoo.org/

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EXPENSES and PAYMENTS

We anticipate the total expense for each student to be in the $275 to $325 range. With the great pie sale and other terrific fundraising we’ve had this year, we also anticipate being able to reduce the cost per student by $50 to $75 with help from the Music Boosters. As such, the final amount due for each student should fall between $200 and $250 . We have taken care to incorporate almost all meals and other expenses into the cost of the trip. We are working with the travel company to provide food vouchers or cash outs for all meals except the fast food stops on Friday and Sunday on the long haul parts of the trip. Any food purchased beyond that of the vouchers and, of course, any souvenirs would be the responsibility of each student.

The ANNOUNCED FINAL AMOUNT DUE will be divided into three assessments due by 3:00pm on the following dates:

ASSESSMENT #1 DUE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 29 ASSESSMENT #2 DUE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 ASSESSMENT #3 DUE: THURSDAY, MARCH 26

***You*You may pay the entire balance due at anytime, howevhoweverer the minimum due for each assessment is required to be paid bybyby each due date.

*The FINAL AMOUNT DUE will be announced as soon as we get the grand total from the travel company and see what the Music Boosters can afford to chip in based on tthehe successes of our fundraising.

*All payments should be made in exact cash or personal check made payable toto:::: "NORTHEASTERN MUSIC BOOSTERS.”

EXAMPLES OF USING STUDENT ACCOUNTS TO PAY FOR THE TOUR :

Example 1: “Student X” has $135.00 in his student account:

*The total due ($225 for this example only ) minus the amount in the student account ($135) leaves the remaining amount to be paid as $90.00.

*$90.00 divided into three assessments means that $30.00 is due by each assessment deadline date.

Example 2: “Student Y” has $300.00 in her student account

*The entire assessment can be paid from the student account so no money is due at any time. The student would be responsible for out-of- pocket expenses only.

NEXT MUSIC BOOSTER MEETING : MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2009 7:00PM

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2008-2009 NORTHEASTERN HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC DEPARTMENT SPRING TOUR

COMMITMENT SHEET

To be returned to your director by Friday, December 19, 2008.

I, ______understand that if I plan on attending the 2008 NHS Music Department Tour to Cleveland, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA, I pledge to pay any monies due in full and on time to my director.

I am aware that if the current amount in my TRIP ACCOUNT is more than the TOTAL DUE for this trip, I owe nothing and can participate in the trip needing only to provide my Out-of-Pocket Expenses.

I am aware that if I have some credit in my TRIP ACCOUNT, but not enough to cover the TOTAL DUE, I will be advised of the difference that I owe and how much that difference is divided into thirds. I am responsible to pay 1/3 of TOTAL DUE by each assessment due date.

I am aware that if I do not wish to participate in this trip, I still need to return this form with Parent/Guardian Signature by December 19.

circle one: I AM PARTICIPATING IN THE TOUR

I AM NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE TOUR

Signing below acknowledges your understanding and commitment to the contents of this letter.

Student Signature: ______Date:______

Parent/Guardian Signature: ______Date:______

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