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Bowling Green High School
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Final Paris Trip ReportThurs, Jan 4, 2001 @ 4:00 am, Bowling Green time: It's with mixed feelings that I write this final report of the Paris trip. The past week has been one of great fun and joy. Sure, there were times when it seemed like we'd waited far too long or that we wished the kids could calm down a bit. But overall, it was the experience of a lifetime that all travelers will remember with fond memories. Having been involved in many aspects of the planning, I have to say that those who organized this trip (Mike Kreischer and the Band Directors) did an outstanding job. They put their hearts and souls into making this a once in a lifetime experience for the students. I would suggest that each of you take the opportunity to thank them personally for making this trip happen. In addition, there were numerous parents whose efforts would normally go unmentioned even though they put enormous amounts of time in BG and in Paris to make sure things went smoothly. It would be impossible to name all individuals who made things run smoothly, because without fail individuals pitched in when there was help needed. Things rarely go as planned in the best of circumstances, but in a foreign country, with 300 travelers, it should be expected that things will NOT go as planned. It was such a pleasure for me to see students and chaperones alike making the effort to do what was necessary to make things easier, whether that meant waiting patiently one more time, helping distribute or pack uniforms, being on time in spite of the slow elevator or just having a positive attitude when things went wrong. I wish you could all have witnessed Band Director Thom Headley getting choked up as he expressed his feelings in seeing the band march down the streets of Chantilly and Paris and hearing the performance of the Jazz Band. He was proud and amazed at the way the kids came together to put on such spectacular shows. And he was touched by the reactions of the local residents and all who witnessed them. (Just as a note, one chaperone was visiting with a parade spectator from Paris and she was absolutely amazed to learn that our band was not a paid performance group. She couldn't believe that we would actually pay to travel there to perform for them!) I believe that being a part of this experience has bettered each of us. I must also thank Jay Deutschman (and Dacor) for providing this web site and making this trip more accessible to those unable to go. It is a service that has been enjoyed by friends and family all across the country, and the speed with which pictures appeared was amazing. Please take the opportunity to thank Jay as well. Yes, the trip is technically over, but it will live forever in our hearts. As a personal note, I must publicly thank Group 13 for being the best tour group and having the most fun! Peg McClanahan Web Site Credits
A special Thank You to Dale Abell and Peg McClanahan for their late night efforts in Paris to deliver the photos and daily reports. I'd also like to thank Mike Kreischer for the donation of the laptop that was used in Paris and to thank the Sentinel-Tribune and WTVG Channel 13 for the inclusion of our web site in their coverage of the trip, and to WBGU Channel 27 for video taping the entire trip. The web site has been a big success and I have enjoyed my role as webmaster.
Jay Deutschman
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