Zion Chapel band officials address BOE

Zion Chapel High School Band Booster President Scott Hendrix and band director Erin M. Wambles, addressed members of the Coffee County Board of Education to update members on the detailed planning and funds raised for the trip to this year’s Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Hendrix said 84 people are going to the event, including 48 students and 33 adults. The band leaves Tuesday, Dec. 30 and will perform at the Sugar Bowl Friday, Jan. 2. between 7 and 9 p.m.

“The band members will also be performing in the French Quarter, Jackson Square and the River Walk Gazebo, along with competing in the Sugar Bowl Contest of Champions,” he said. “The students will also get the opportunity to visit the IMAX Theater and the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. It’s such a great opportunity for these students.”

Wambles said the students would be staying the “safe areas” of New Orleans.

“The costs for the trip is about $676 per person with the cost including the Sugar Bowl ticket, four nights at a hotel, many meals, the Mardi Gras dinner and bus fare. We began setting up payments for the parents months ago so that if they had two or more kids in the band, the cost wouldn’t come all at once,” she said.

Hendrix said the total cost for the trip was $56,784.

“We’ve collected at this point $20,000 with a balance of $33,000, but we have confidence that we will raise these other funds. We paid the Sugar Bowl committee $3,700 already,” he said.

Twenty-two rooms have been reserved and rooms assigned, Wambles explained.
Hendrix told the board members that at the last band booster’s meeting, “we had 95 percent attendance. We’re the only band in Alabama that will attend the Sugar Bowl and not only will we represent Coffee County, we’ll be representing the Wiregrass and the state of Alabama. This has been well-planned out and we’ve had hours or hours of meetings and we’re very excited about this.”

Wambles gave each member of the board a tentative itinerary for the five days.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. “And we are so proud we were asked to attend this event to give our kids the opportunity to perform in front of large crowds and compete with bands coming across the southeast.”

Superintendent Linda Ingram said she learned leadership qualities when she was a member in her high school band.

“We are proud that one of our county schools was asked and I believe the Zion Chapel band is growing from the figures from last year,” she said.
Hendrix presented a total of 35 band members that were in the band last year, compared to the 65 members of this school year’s band.
“We expect to have 100 members in the band by next year,” he said. “With everyone’s cooperation and support of the band, we’re growing and moving forward.”

Ingram suggested to the board that in some of the capital project plans to be decided on during next year and the following few year’s budget, Zion Chapel may receive a new band room, enlarging with an expected growth.