MS Band and Choir Universal Trip

Mia van der Merwe, Student Journalist

April 12, 2024

JUPITER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL – On April 5, 2024 the JCS middle school band and choir went to Universal for fun and a competition!

Our day started out early in the morning at 5:00am. The 7th and 8th grade band and choir students went to the JCS big carline. The bus left at 5:00am, so we had to be there by 4:55am. The seven girls in my group were Jael, Daylin, Macy, Livy, Me (Mia), Alison, and Chloe. At Universal, there are huge roller coasters, but there are also less scary small rides. As a band, we played two songs for a group judges and the choir sang two songs.

The first thing everyone did when we arrived at Universal was to assemble our instruments and head to the “stage.” We were on the “stage” and there were three judges in the back of the room. After we performed, one of the judges gave us some compliments and helped us make some corrections. Then, the choir went up and the layout of the huge room was the same. The room was extremely big with lots of seats in it. About 1/3 of the room was dedicated for the choir, another 1/3 of the room was for the band, and in the middle of the room were seats and trophies. At the end of the day, we found out our results. The band got 2nd place and the choir got 4th place. The band played well, and the choir sang well together. One of the three judges helped the choir fix their corrections and complimented them on lots of things. Overall, the competition went well, and it was from 7:30am to 9:00am. The band concert took place in Universal Studios, not Islands of Adventure.

After the competition, everyone got into their groups and headed into the park. There were not as many people as usual because Universal had just opened, and it was a school day. My group went on Rip Ride Rockit, Transformers, Revenge of the Mummy, and VelociCoaster or Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Macy, Livy, and I went on the VelociCoaster. All the others went on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure because they all got too scared to go on one of the scariest rides at Universal. Alison Siebrecht said, “My favorite part about Universal was going on the Hagrid Motorcycle Ride.” We went to both parks: Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. The Revenge of the Mummy ride was so much fun that our group went on it twice. The Mummy ride was like Space Mountain in Disney, but it’s better because there are lots of fun details and mummies everywhere. Livy Schonauer said, “The best part was going on all the rides.” The trip was a blast, and it was so much fun having friends in my group. Daylin said, “Being with all my friends was the best part of the trip.” Everyone had lots of fun and would want to go again next year.

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About the Contributor

Mia van der Merwe, MS Yearbook Staff

MS Yearbook Staff Class of 2029 Mia van der Merwe is a Student Journalist for "The Beak," as well as helping create the Middle School Yearbook. Mia is in the class of 2029. She has lived in Connecticut, England, and Florida. She lived in Connecticut for 7 years, England for 3 years, and Florida for 3 years. If you were wondering if she has a British accent, no she doesn't. Outside of school Mia does gymnastics 6 days a week, everyday but Sunday, and in total she does it 20 hours a week. Mia has travelled A LOT, but one of her favorite places she went to was Belgium. Mia's favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 which says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." She goes to Christ Fellowship Church, where she volunteers every other week. Every other Sunday, she volunteer with the 2-5 year olds for 1.5 hours. One interesting fact about Mia is that she enjoys watching the Gators Gymnastics competitions. She knows lots of the gymnasts on the team. Last summer, Mia went to Gators Camp. This is where you meet all the gymnasts and practice where they practice. Everyone who went to their camp got to walk around UF together.