It’s that time of year again; pizza kits are being delivered, wreaths are being hung, and the last vestiges of lollipops are being eaten. This may seem like a random, unrelated list of items, but is in fact a list of the items offered through fundraising for the guitar program here.

The guitar program has been an active part of school for twenty years now, and it is still going strong.

“Anyone can play guitar,” said guitar teacher Keith Owens. “I’m so glad we can offer this program to students and get them playing. It’s not only fun, but also one of the best programs [of its kind] offered in the nation.”

The program offers classes for every level of guitar player, ranging from an introductory course called Guitar 1, which teaches students the fundamentals of guitar, to courses for more advanced musicians such as Jazz Combo or Guitar 3.

As with every other musical program, a large part of time is spent performing. Every single spring for the past 15 years, guitar students have taken trips around the country to perform the music they’ve learned, participate in clinics and workshops to improve their playing, and generally have a good time.

These trips that the guitar students take tend to focus mainly on music, as that is the main purpose of the trip; students have taken clinics with professional musicians, traveled to colleges to meet other musicians, and visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This year, the guitar program’s spring trip will take them to sunny Orlando, Florida, and to Disney World, for about a week. The students in Jazz Combo attending have the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience, and the Guitar Ensemble and Guitar Orchestra will be performing the classical pieces they’ve learned this year for a panel of judges at Festival Disney. And of course it goes without saying that, in their down time, the students will enjoy the park and the many rides it offers.

“Spring trip is the highlight of my school year,” said senior David Tobul.

Trips like this are not cheap; students must pay mainly out of their own pockets in order to attend them. As students, they usually do not have enough personal money to afford the entire cost of the trip.

This leads them to fundraise as a group, selling seemingly unrelated items such as Little Cesar’s Pizza Kits, Holiday Greens, Ozark Delight Lollipops, and also food from Schwann’s. These fundraisers are essentially the backbone of spring guitar trips for some, without which students would miss out a fantastic experience.

“Fundraising is essential for some students, because the trips are just too expensive for most to pay,” said senior Ryan Lugo.

So while the lollipops may seem disruptive to some teachers, they’re essential to the guitar program’s members’ ability to gain valuable experience in the music world by attending spring trip. They aren’t just addictive snacks; they’re a way for students to participate in the most anticipated event of their school year.

“We’re doing the most fundraising we’ve done since i’ve been in the program. the fundraising saves the students a lot of money, so parents really like them. Plus, a lot of the products sell themselves,” said senior Niko Sward.

Since they are so easy to sell, guitarists appreciate the fundraisers and readily participate in them. The trip will cost each participant around $660. This is because the trip is really big this year to accomodate the large guitar classes; a majority of the members of the program are seniors. The trip will not be as big next year due to the large number of graduated guitarists, so they are celebrating the group this year.

“it’s really easy to sell lollipops,” jason

“I’m really excited for the trip. Mr. Owens always loads the trip itinerary with really good food stops, and we’re also going to the new Harry Potter park. I’m really excited for the trip,” said senior Jason Fry.

“fundraising can be difficult at times but it’s worth it once the trip comes around,” brian

won’t be a big trip next year because there’s a lot of seniors so the groups won’t be as big next year