opens tonight
Conditional deposit due Friday, September 4. It is refundable until the required performer threshold is reached and the WorldStrides group deposit is paid from Booster-held trip funds.
Ashley Bands • Family information
Carnegie Hall 2027 Family Meeting Packet
Ashley Bands • September 1, 2026
A plain-language record of the opportunity, tonight's commitment, the family cost boundary, cancellation and FRP information, and what happens next.
The numbers to remember
One commitment, one ceiling, one shared goal
family ceiling
Under this commitment, Ashley Bands will not ask - and the Boosters are not authorized to collect - more than $2,000 from a participating family. It is not a bill due tonight.
our goal
Ashley Bands will lead the work to move the family total toward $500 through significant outside support. This is ambitious and is not guaranteed.
The trip is currently planning around $2,500 per traveler, excluding personal spending. That is an estimate used to build the trip and funding plan, not another family ask.
Who is responsible
Four names, four different roles
Ashley Bands
The band program builds the educational plan and communicates official trip information to students and families.
Mr. Parker
The Director of Bands directs the ensembles, approves performers, and recommends which performance path can move forward.
Ashley High School and NHCS
The school and district approve school travel, the authorized signer, supervision, and district requirements.
Ashley High School Band Boosters
The Boosters receive family payments through PayPal, maintain the trip ledger, make authorized vendor payments, and issue authorized refunds.
The opportunity
Two Ashley High School ensembles were selected. Now the plan has to become real.
- The Ashley High School Concert Band and Wind Ensemble were selected for the National Band & Orchestra Festival at Carnegie Hall.
- Working travel dates are March 23-26, 2027, with both performances on Thursday, March 25.
- The intended educational plan includes Carnegie performances and an AIM master class, Broadway, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the Empire State Building or another structured activity, charter transportation, three hotel nights, and selected meals.
- The final itemized quote, adult pricing, exact inclusions, and any below-minimum ensemble surcharge are still being finalized.
Participation
The trip can move forward in one of two ways
Both ensembles
- At least 40 confirmed Wind Ensemble performers
- At least 40 confirmed Concert Band performers
- Two separate Carnegie performances
Wind Ensemble-centered
- At least 50 Mr. Parker-approved performers
- Current Wind Ensemble performers are preapproved
- Concert Band students may be added based on instrumentation and readiness
- An unapproved Concert Band student receives the $50 deposit back
What tonight means
Serious intent now; final contract next
- The form is an initial family intent acknowledgement with typed parent and student signatures. It is not the final trip contract.
- A serious yes gives Mr. Parker and the Boosters a reliable count for the performance-path and vendor-deposit decisions.
- A family is agreeing that it intends to participate if its total responsibility is no more than $2,000.
- If the eventual family responsibility would exceed $2,000, the band program must return to families for a new decision. Tonight's acknowledgement does not authorize the Boosters to collect a higher amount.
- Once the Boosters pay the WorldStrides group deposit, the trip moves forward and the $50 becomes nonrefundable. An individual student is not yet a confirmed traveler at that point.
- A student becomes individually confirmed only after completing the WorldStrides portal registration, required paperwork, and the next $225 payment described in the final agreement.
| Date | Working maximum | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| September 4 | $50 | Conditional deposit |
| September 15 | up to $450 | Working first payment |
| October 15 | up to $500 | Working second payment |
| November 15 | up to $500 | Working third payment |
| December 15 | up to $500 | Working final payment |
Only the $50 is open now. The later amounts are a maximum working model and do not become active until the band program issues the final family agreement and the Boosters issue payment instructions. The $225 WorldStrides registration payment will be part of this $2,000 maximum, not an added charge above it. Confirmed outside support can reduce later collections.
What happens after the $50
The trip can be active before an individual student is registered
$50 family commitment
This gives Mr. Parker and the Boosters the count needed for the group decision. It remains refundable until the required performer threshold is reached and the Boosters pay the WorldStrides group deposit.
Booster group deposit
The trip is activated and moves forward. The $50 becomes nonrefundable and stays credited to the student's balance, but the student is not yet individually registered with WorldStrides.
Individual WorldStrides registration
The student completes the WorldStrides portal and required paperwork. The family makes the next $225 payment within the $2,000 ceiling, and the student is then confirmed as an individual traveler.
WorldStrides deadlines that drive the group plan
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Within 30 days of the group deposit | All FRP units must be purchased. No new FRP can be added after this window. |
| October 24, 2026 | One-third of the trip cost is due from the Boosters to WorldStrides. |
| January 7, 2027 | The final trip balance is due from the Boosters to WorldStrides. |
If plans change
What happens when an individual student withdraws
Before the WorldStrides group deposit is paid
The conditional $50 is refundable. If the required performer threshold is not reached or the trip does not proceed, the Boosters issue the refund under Hannah Hales's authorization.
After the group deposit, before individual registration
The trip is moving forward and the $50 is nonrefundable. The student is not yet confirmed in the WorldStrides portal; the final agreement and registration instructions come next.
After individual WorldStrides registration
Without FRP, the first $225 of the student's trip payments covers the current early-withdrawal cost and is nonrefundable if the student pulls out. Later cancellation bands may increase the amount at risk.
Current standard cancellation bands without FRP
| Cancellation date | Current WorldStrides consequence |
|---|---|
| Through November 22, 2026 | $225 per person plus other nonrefundable fees |
| November 23, 2026-January 6, 2027 | 25% of the program price plus nonrefundable fees |
| January 7-February 6, 2027 | 50% of the program price plus nonrefundable fees |
| February 7, 2027 or later | No refund |
These are the current WorldStrides group-billed individual-cancellation bands when FRP has not been elected. WorldStrides sends group-billed refunds to the Program Leader; the Ashley High School Band Boosters then distribute and reconcile family refunds.
Optional protection
Full Refund Program (FRP)
FRP may be elected for an individual traveler. It can protect covered trip payments when cancellation happens at least one day before departure, minus the FRP enrollment fee and other nonrefundable fees.
What is confirmed
- The preliminary estimate is $279 per covered traveler; the final amount will be stated before families elect it.
- The Boosters must purchase every FRP unit within 30 days after the WorldStrides group deposit. No new units can be added after that window.
- An already-purchased FRP unit may be reassigned from one traveler to another within the group. The receiving family pays the final FRP amount to the Boosters, and the Boosters refund that amount to the original family.
- The FRP fee becomes nonrefundable after 24 hours, and FRP does not promise that every fee or outside travel arrangement will be returned.
What the final agreement still has to state
- The final FRP price and exact family election/payment deadline once the group-deposit date is known
- The written Booster procedure for documenting an FRP reassignment and the corresponding family payment and refund
- Exactly which nonrefundable fees remain outside FRP protection
The shared campaign
Moving the family total toward $500 starts tonight
Families should plan for a $2,000 responsibility until shared fundraising lowers it. Sponsorships, grants, major gifts, and group campaigns reduce the total trip cost for everyone; they are not credited only to the student whose family opened the door. Moving the family total toward $500 will require broad participation, and no lower total is guaranteed yet.
- Introduce Mr. Parker to an employer, business, corporate partner, foundation, civic group, arts supporter, or major donor.
- Open a door to local media or a community leader who can help tell the Carnegie and seven-year rebuilding story.
- Help with outreach, events, campaign communications, and donor follow-up.
- Respond promptly to deadlines even if your family cannot add volunteer capacity.
Family trip payments are credited to the individual student's balance. Capital sponsorships, grants, major gifts, and shared Carnegie fundraising reduce the group's cost. Carnegie funding remains separate from Marching Band funding goals and program needs.
Before individual registration
These details still require written answers
- Corrected itemized quote, adult pricing, final inclusions, and any ensemble surcharge
- Final family price and payment instructions within the $2,000 ceiling
- Final FRP price, the exact 30-day family deadline, and protected amounts
- Written withdrawal, cancellation, and refund-distribution rules
- Written procedure for a possible approved-student replacement; this option is still under investigation and is not promised
- School approval, authorized signer, chaperone plan, and economic-access process
Parent questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the trip definitely happening?
Both Ashley High School ensembles have been selected, and Mr. Parker is actively planning. Once the performer threshold and approvals close and the Boosters pay the WorldStrides group deposit, the group trip is on. An individual student is confirmed only after completing the WorldStrides portal registration and required paperwork.
Why commit before the final price?
Mr. Parker needs a reliable performer count before recommending a performance path, and the Boosters need that count before risking a nonrefundable vendor deposit. Tonight's decision is bounded at a $2,000 family ceiling with only the conditional $50 open now.
What if I need to withdraw?
Before the Boosters pay the WorldStrides group deposit, the $50 is refundable. After that it is nonrefundable. Once a student registers in the WorldStrides portal, a traveler without FRP has at least the current $225 early-withdrawal cost at risk, with higher cancellation bands later.
How does individual FRP work?
A family may elect FRP for one traveler. All FRP units must be purchased within 30 days after the group deposit; no new units can be added later. An unused unit may be reassigned within the group, with the receiving family paying the Boosters and the original family receiving that amount back. FRP still excludes its own fee and other nonrefundable amounts.
What if the family responsibility exceeds $2,000?
Families receive a new decision point. Tonight's acknowledgement does not authorize Ashley Bands to ask - or the Boosters to collect - more than $2,000 from a family.
Who receives and tracks the money?
The Ashley High School Band Boosters receive the payment through PayPal. Booster President and current Treasurer Hannah Hales owns the trip ledger and refund authorization.
Can fundraising guarantee a $500 family total?
No. Families should plan for $2,000 until shared fundraising reduces the amount. Capital sponsorships, grants, major gifts, and group campaigns lower the trip cost for everyone rather than creating a private credit for one student.
When is an individual student confirmed?
The group trip moves forward when the Boosters pay the WorldStrides deposit, but a student is not individually confirmed until the final agreement is issued and the student completes the WorldStrides portal registration, required paperwork, and the next $225 payment within the $2,000 ceiling.
Can one registered student be replaced by another?
That process is still under investigation. A replacement would require another student approved by Mr. Parker, a confirmed WorldStrides transfer process, and Booster handling of the replacement family's payment and the withdrawing family's refund. Families should not rely on a swap until that procedure is confirmed in writing.
Due Friday, September 4
Give the band program a reliable answer
Complete one response per student. A serious yes creates the connected $50 conditional-deposit charge and lets the family pay immediately.