This week 37 students traveled to San Francisco for the Worldstrides Heritage Festival, an event where fifteen student bands from across the United States and Canada gathered to compete for awards.

Sandpoint High School earned six awards in total. Jazz 1 took home gold first, symphonic earned silver first and an adjudicator award, Emily Shveyda earned an individual Maestro award, and Sandpoint took home overall  best.  One more award was received

While in San Francisco the group visited China Town, Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 33, and the Aquarium of the Bay between competition performances.

After touring San Francisco the group traveled to California’s Great America Amusement Park for the awards ceremony where Emily Branham and Erik Suhr collected awards as they were announced.

“It was amazing to hear the band behind us explode with applause and laughter when we were announced for all of our awards,” Branham said.