Members of the Spirit of Northwest Marching Band found themselves less than half a mile away from the horrific attack along Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
The 43 band students, along with three Northwest faculty members and some of their family members, had traveled to New Orleans to perform in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Parade on Dec. 31 and take part in a band competition.
Brett Dunsford, the Northwest High School marching band director, said he was in high spirits when he and the others left for the trip on Dec. 29.
“We announced this trip last Christmas at our winter concert and have been fundraising for it ever since,” he said. “We have been looking forward to this trip for a while.”
On Dec. 30, the marching band prepared for its first event, a field show competition at West Jefferson High School in Harvey, La., and the band won first place in its division. The band also won an award for outstanding marching and its drum major, Gracie Elterman, won an award for outstanding drum major.
Also on Dec. 30, the group had the chance to perform in Jackson Square next to the St. Louis Cathedral.
“I was so excited for the kids to have these performing opportunities. We let the kids have input on some of the pieces they would play. There were so many people in attendance. It was really cool to see. I hope the kids thought it was a memorable experience, too,” Dunsford said.
The next day, on Dec. 31, the band geared up for its main event – a performance in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Parade on the outskirts of the French Quarter on Decatur Street.
“The streets were packed with people,” Dunsford said. “This was a huge day for our program, but we treated it like another notch on our belt. We are used to performing for big crowds and we always put in the hard work. Overall, it was an amazing time. I’m really proud of the kids.”
For its performance in the parade, the Spirit of Northwest Marching Band earned second place, along with outstanding marching and outstanding color guard.
After the parade, the marching band members returned to their rooms at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, where they got dressed up for a dinner and dance and received their awards at a recognition ceremony. The students gathered behind the hotel and rang in the new year while watching a fireworks display over the Mississippi River.
“I did the room checks that night and did head counts of every student. By 12:45 a.m. Jan. 1, everyone was back in their rooms and accounted for,” Dunsford said.
Authorities say that at about 3 a.m. that morning, Shamsud-Din Jabbar intentionally drove a pickup truck down a crowded Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring many others. The attack ended in a shootout with police, with Jabbar being killed.
At about 7 a.m., the band group woke and learned about the deadly act that had occurred near their hotel a few hours earlier, Dunsford said.
“We all started to find out the news around the same time. It started with a friend messaging me asking if we were all OK,” he said. “I had no idea what she was talking about. She immediately sent me a news article. After that it was text, after text, after text. My colleagues on the trip, Kate Schuller and Nate Boxdorfer, their phones started blowing up.
“At this point, we knew the kids were probably all awake and their phones were receiving similar messages. We did another head count around 9 a.m. and told the students what we knew of what had occurred. As more information came out, the gravity of the situation settled on everyone.”
With calls flooding in from concerned administrators, parents and friends, Mr. Dunsford’s priority was to maintain safety and morale.
“We sent out a statement on Facebook telling everyone of the incident, how our hearts went out to the victims and their families and how everyone on the trip was all safe and OK. I sent out emails to parents and faculty with the same statement, as well as an updated itinerary of what we had planned leading up to us leaving New Orleans,” Dunsford said. “From nine hours away, we tried our best to keep everyone aware of our movements.”
The Allstate Sugar Bowl, which doubled as a college football playoff quarterfinal, was postponed one day and played on Jan. 2, when Notre Dame beat Georgia.
The incident also affected the band’s plans, leading to increased security measures and tighter controls on student activities.
“There was a notable police presence everywhere, including in our hotel. New Years Day is typically an exciting time, but it was quiet,” Dunsford said. “There was a noticeable mood shift from Tuesday to Wednesday; everything was different. We had activities planned for the day, some that were canceled, of course. We were extremely cautious in everything we did moving forward, while not wanting to feel like we were punishing the kids because of someone else’s actions.”
The group received messages of support from various community members, including parents, teachers and district officials.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out who was concerned about our safety. The outpouring of support we received was phenomenal,” Dunsford said. “The messages meant so much. Of course, we never expected anything like this to happen while we were there visiting. It was an unfortunate incident that changed our day and the lives of many.”
Despite the change in plans and mood, the students still had some fun that last day, he said
“We had some of the parents retrieve beignets for the kids, so they were able to experience that while still in New Orleans. It just meant a lot how everyone stepped up to make this all still a good time,” Dunsford said.
The marching band returned home safely on Jan. 2. Not wanting the incident to overshadow the positive experiences and memories of the trip, Dunsford said he emphasized the importance of not letting the incident deter the students from taking future trips to New Orleans.
“Unfortunately, this could have happened anywhere and to anyone. It is unfortunate that this event happened, period. New Orleans is an incredible city with wonderful people. Traveling to a new place can be scary and exciting. We can’t live in fear. I want these kids to be able to have these opportunities to see different parts of the country. As a teacher, it is my job to give these students a chance to see more than just Missouri. I hope these students can remember the performance opportunities and the feeling of traveling with their friends. I hope that is their primary memory from this trip.”