Parent of orchestra student hopes district will change its tune on cancelled NYC trip

1 week_ago 3

New Brunswick·New

After months of practicing and raising wealth for a travel to a New York City euphony festival, a radical of precocious schoolhouse students from École l'Odyssée has been told their travel has been cancelled due to the fact that of the tariff warfare with the United States.

More than 50 students from the Moncton schoolhouse were expected to permission for planetary festival adjacent week

Mia Urquhart · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 3:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Four rows of radical dressed successful achromatic and achromatic and holding philharmonic instruments.

After months of practicing and raising wealth for a travel to a New York City festival, a radical of precocious schoolhouse students from École l'Odyssée has been told their travel was cancelled due to the fact that of the tariff warfare with the United States.

The students recovered retired astir the district's determination connected Tuesday — eight days earlier they were expected to committee a autobus for the trip.

Andy Peterson, whose lad is 1 of the students who planned to spell connected the trip, said it's been affectional and disappointing.

Peterson said the students person been "working since the fall on their pieces. … getting acceptable musically and getting acceptable travel-wise."

More than 50 students were readying to be the International Heritage Festival and execute astatine a religion successful Harlem. They besides had a time of sightseeing planned.

"So, acquisition and taste and euphony … To accidental they were excited would beryllium an understatement," said Peterson.

District defends decision

In an emailed effect successful French, Geneviève Chiasson, an authoritative with the Francophone South School District, said the travel was cancelled arsenic a "precautionary measure."

"Our superior work remains the information and well-being of the students entrusted to america for immoderate schoolhouse trip. … In the existent context, we bash not privation to instrumentality immoderate risks that could compromise their information oregon exposure them to perchance unpredictable situations, notably astatine the U.S. border."

Building wtih 3 emblem poles successful front, with a bluish entity and a fewer clouds connected the background.

Chiasson said the determination was made "in consultation" with the Education Department, "which supports our approach."

Even the area's MLA has weighed successful connected the matter. Alexandre Cédric Doucet, who represents Moncton East, sent an email to school superintendent Monique Boudreau, asking the territory to reverse its decision.

"While it is existent that the geopolitical concern is worrying, we cannot spend to forestall children from participating successful this event, particularly since the determination was made without consulting parents," Doucet wrote.

No N.B. authorities argumentation successful place

While Peterson said the archetypal connection from the euphony teacher referred to a Government of New Brunswick attack to non-essential question to the U.S., provincial spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane confirmed, "There is nary specified regularisation successful place."

Peterson can't recognize wherefore the travel would beryllium cancelled erstwhile "the somesthesia has gone down" betwixt the 2 countries.

"By each accounts, the somesthesia seems to beryllium coming down connected the elbows-up broadside of things, and truthful tin we driblet our elbows a small bit?"

Peterson said there's inactive clip for the territory to reverse the decision.

"From the logistics of the trip, we could inactive marque it happen," helium said. "But with each hr that goes by, it feels little likely."

He said there's nary program to defy the territory and spell anyhow — "so overmuch atrocious would travel from that" — but determination is an effort to find a Canadian alternate to the trip.