The Wauwatosa West and East bands spent 4 days in New York City and participated in the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 17th, 2025
26 Tosa West students welcomed the experience of going to a new city and having a new experience.
“I think it’ll be a great experience. And I’m grateful that I can be a part of it. Yeah, me too. I’m really excited, and it’s gonna be a new experience that’s definitely once in a lifetime,” said Senior Milo Hagopian-Smith
Students are not the only ones excited for the trip. For band director Mark Wampfler, the trip offers students a memorable experience and an opportunity to develop and build memories with their classmates.
“I’m most excited for the opportunity for the students to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.” said Tosa West Band Director Mark Wampfler
Besides participating in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, students had a full schedule of activities planned. Students visited China Town, saw Hades Town and Wicked on Broadway, visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. They also spent time in the American Museum of Natural History, explored Times Square and Central Park and went on a dinner cruise on the Hudson River.
“With all of these items on the itinerary, I want students to learn about what life in a big city can be like, the art that can be created there, and the diverse cultural experience people can experience even within the same city limits.” said Wampfler.
Students learned a variety of things.
“I learned that I wanted to go to a bigger and local city for college after high school, I also learned about the environment while being around tons of people in one city” said Junior Elliot Engbring
Junior Cameron Coraggio enjoyed visiting the blue wall at the 9/11 Memorial.
“The most surprising thing was when we drove past the world’s biggest calvary cemetery on our way to our hotel in Queens, New York.” said Coraggio.
Although St Patrick’s Day was the focus of the trip, students were able to experience a lot of different New York landmarks.
“I learned The base of the statue of liberty was a military base in the civil war and how expensive things are in new york” said junior Cameron Coraggio
The trip cost students $2,500 per person. There were various fundraisers students participated in to raise money. But making all of the arrangements required a lot of planning.
“Planning a trip like this is always nerve wracking. There’s lots of logistics and moving pieces, so there’s always some anxiety around that.” said Wampler
An additional challenge facing Wampfler was his recent arrival at Tosa West. Wampfler became the band director for the 2024-2025 school year replacing Mark Hunt.
“I only transitioned to this role at Tosa West this year, which means I’ve only been directly involved with the planning for about half the process. With the support of other colleagues, administrators, Mrs. Lato and the Tosa East Band, I know this trip will go off without a hitch.” said Wampfler.
Despite the challenges of planning the trip, teachers wanted to make sure they had a memorable experience.
“When I remember my own band experience in middle school and high school, I mostly remember those unique opportunities. Marching the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the students getting to do it are sure to have a blast.” said Wampler
