At the end of this school year, the marching band will head to Hawaii. 

“We are flying out of Indianapolis to Honolulu, then to Maui on May 27, then back to Indianapolis on May 30,” said director of bands Ms. Kathy McCullough.

She said 92 members of the Pride of the Irish will go on the trip, along with 18 chaperones and staff members along with 38 other travelers (adults who are not chaperones, children and alumni). 

“We will be performing on Memorial Day at either Pearl Harbor Visitor Center or the USS Missouri, taking a tour of Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri and performing in Downtown Honolulu at the Ala Moana Center Stage. We will also be touring the Polynesian Cultural Center, seeing a Polynesian show, going to luaus on the beach in Maui and touring the city of Lahaina on the island of Maui,” McCullough said. 

The band has traveled to Hawaii on two previous occasions, in 2002 and 2012. “The first time we performed in Honolulu and went to the big island of Hawaii. The second time we did the Oahu/Maui trip,” she said.

But performing isn’t the only reason the band is going to Hawaii. McCullough said, “The opportunities to perform, to learn about Polynesian and Hawaiian culture and to see the breathtakingly beautiful sights are truly once-in-a-lifetime for many of the travelers.  There is a strong music tradition in Hawaii, and our students learn about the many different styles of instruments, dance and musical performance groups at our various venues we tour and stay at,” McCullough said. 

There are many ways that money is being raised to help support this trip such as raffle tickets, where a portion will go the band program and the trip fund, and students will be selling Beef House rolls, apple butter and strawberry jam later in the semester to help raise funds for the trip. The Kona Ice truck, appropriately enough, is a band fundraiser.

Additionally, band members and  parents and relatives can work at Lucas Oil Stadium in a concessions stand during Colts games and other Lucas Oil events and all workers divide the profits up for the students. The annual Band Bingo in late January raises money for all band students to help, and band alumni often assist with donations.