The Mauldin High School marching band has been invited to participate in the 2011 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, LA. The Sugar Bowl is a major BCS college football bowl game. Our marching band will participate in a marching competition in which the winner gets to perform their show in front of tens of thousands of people during pre-game. All band students from all schools will participate in a massive half-time show on the field.

This is a once-in-a-high-school-career opportunity as we only plan events such as this on a 4-year basis. The Mauldin High School marching band previously performed at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, TX, and we are proud to be able to participate again next year at this caliber. It is time that we once again showed off the capabilities of our students at the national level. The Sugar Bowl is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate these abilities. (See sample action packed itenerary)

The trip will take place over 6 days and 5 nights. The band is tentatively scheduled to depart around on December 31 (New Year’s Eve) and to return home on January 5. An accurate schedule will not be available for several months. The trip includes transportation, hotel lodging, the costs of the competition, rehearsals, entrance to the Sugar Bowl, an Awards dinner and dance, sightseeing, and some meals. We are also working on incorporating some other events into this schedule.

The cost for the trip is $835.00. Due to the massive amount of planning involved, it is important for band members and parents to make a firm commitment to meet deadlines, raise necessary funds, and be proactive in the band organization. Please understand that finances should NEVER be a reason to avoid participating in the marching band. We will make sure that you are provided opportunities to earn as much as you need.

Many chaperones are needed to assist with the logistics of our travels. The chaperone cost is the same as the student cost. Obviously this is a big commitment and should be planned out accordingly. It is my recommendation that parents hold students accountable for paying some percentage of the cost. Everyone will have several fundraising opportunities to assist with this process.

Please pay particular attention to the payment schedule located in the packet. Your payment dates are aligned with the payments we are required to make. The “Fair Share” is the assessment needed to run normal operations of the band program and is the first priority. This is separate from the trip. All fundraised money will be applied to the “Fair Share” first and then the trip.

Due to the fact that payments must be made to the Sugar Bowl coordinators and the Booster Club must adhere to deadlines and cancellation policies, we will be implementing similar cancellation policies. The deposit will be non-refundable as we must make an immediate non-refundable payment to the Sugar Bowl coordinators. From that point on, cancellations will be reimbursed a percentage of their payments based on the cancellation policy of the Alamo Bowl. The Booster Club will absolutely not lose money due to a cancellation.

It is my hope that everyone will embrace this trip as the wonderful opportunity that it is. I am very excited to be able to take our students to perform on the national stage. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to assist you.