Dear Parents/Students:

The time has finally arrived for our trip to Branson Missouri! We hope that everyone will have a great time and return home with wonderful memories of a safe, but tiring trip! We have a few last minute reminders:

• Please be at the high school at entrance I by 4:15 AM Monday, April 4. Bring your luggage to the choir room for inspection. The bus will arrive at 5:00 AM, departing shortly thereafter, and it would be a shame if you missed the trip.
• Please bring something for breakfast and a snack to share, it will be a few hours before we stop. The travel time is approximately 8 hours, not including stops.
• You are not allowed to leave your car in the high school parking lot while we are gone. Please have someone drop you off at the school.
• A final written itinerary will be given to everyone Monday night; however, if you want to check it out now, or parents want to know details, the itinerary is here on the web site.
• The long range forecast for Branson (compliments of weather.com) shows a possibility for rain later in the week and temperatures in the mid to upper 60's and perhaps the lower 70's. Plan your wardrobe accordingly.
• Lastly, remember that daylight savings time begins on Sunday, April 3. Our actual return time may be earlier than what was provided by our tour company.

See you Monday... EARLY MONDAY... VERY EARLY MONDAY!

David Festa - Choir Booster President

The Merrillville High School Choirs will present their annual contest concert this Tuesday, March 15th. The evening of classical music will begin at 7:30 PM in Reinhart Auditorium. The concert will feature performances by students who received a "superior" rating at the ISSMA solo/ensemble competition as well as a performance by guest violinist Ashley Korak, who has performed with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.

Ticket are $5 for adults, $4 for students/seniors, and $20 for a family pass. Proceeds from ticket and concession sales will benefit the Susan Emig Memorial Scholarship, which provides funding to Merrillville students interested in pursuing higher education in music and the arts. For more information about the concert, including a list of selections to be performed, consult the concert page here on our web site.

The Merrillville High School Choral Department presented their 2004 winter concert, A Christmas Portrait on Thursday, December 16th at 7:30 PM in Reinhart Auditorium. The show featured a variety of Christmas favorites, both traditional and contemporary.

Hello all, I hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving break. A few reminders as we race towards the Holiday Break in a few weeks. First ISSMA, this is mandatory for 2^nd and 3^rd hour students. Please be sure to make your song selection from the approved list. As I recall the deadline for the applications to be post marked is December 4^th…THIS SATURDAY!

           Second, we always need help in decorating for the Holiday concert. Mr. Emig spends countless hours of his own time, as does Tom Dobes, Mrs. Neiman and others. Please check with Mr. Emig and come and spend an hour or two, we would really appreciate the help.

The MHS Theatre Company completed their two-weekend run of Seussical, the Musical this past Sunday. I have posted a few photos of the show over in the gallery. There have been rumors that some photos will eventually be posted over on the drama web site as well.