Last week, some students of Apex High School went on a trip to New Orleans. The choir spent four days, traveling, competing, and touring this incredible city, the capital of Louisiana. They did not leave empty handed; they came home with three trophies and four plaques, all of them of gold.

The trip took place from March 28 to March 31. The first day, they got into the bus at 3 a.m., and they traveled the whole night and the following morning. Sixteen hours in total stuck in a bus. They finally arrived in New Orleans that evening at 7 p.m. and had dinner on a steam boat cruise. “They had a live jazz band, and the food was amazing,” said junior Mollie Anderson.

The second day, they went to Mardi Gras World where the floats are built and stored. They also enjoyed a king cake. After that, they went to the French Quarter. They walked around and had lunch. They also visited the Café du Monde where they ate beignets. “There was more sugar on the top than dessert.” “It was a really complete day of tourism.” When they finished tasting the beignets, they went to the aquarium. “Then, we had dinner in a barn. It was the best part of the trip!” The students claimed that it was like a mini Prom and that the DJ was incredible. “It was like Prom but wearing casual clothes. We danced until our feet hurt,” said senior Emily Schonfarber.

The third day the competition took place. They woke up at 6 a.m. because they were the first school to perform, and they didn’t see the rest of the performances. After finishing, they went to a mall close to the hotel to have lunch. In the afternoon, they visited the World War II museum, and they had a few free hours to get ready, rest, or go shopping. They got ready for the masquerade ball which was the award ceremony. When all the awards were given, they danced. “But it wasn’t as fun as in the barn”, some students said.

On the fourth day, it was time to come back. They traveled the whole day on the bus, another sixteen hours, stopping to have lunch and sharing experiences and pictures. “We finished getting tired of each other”, one student said, laughing.

These are the opinions of some students:

“It was really fun, but I wish we had had more time in the French Quarter.”

“Overall, we all got closer.”

“New Orleans was beautiful, and the weather was nice”

“It was great, but New Orleans can be a sketchy place, very dangerous. You have to be careful, and always keep an eye on your wallet and phone.”

So, it looks like they had a great experience. We also congratulate them for all the awards! The choir of Apex High School is one of the best that we can find, and we are proud of them.