Taking the hard road

By Nicole Hazell/FOR THE SUDBURY STAR

Thirty-seven teenagers, one bus and three days.
This is what happens every year before the long weekend in May.
Northeastern’s Evolutionary band, a high school rock band from Northeastern Secondary School in Garson, spends three days traveling to three different high schools in Ontario to share their love for rock ’n’ roll, to spread the world about Child Find and to speak out against drinking and driving.
Evolutionary is made up of students from Grade 7 to OAC.
The band left for southern Ontario at 4:30 a.m. on May 17. The first stop was Tim Horton's in Sturgeon Falls.
A few Tim Horton's outlets later, the bus arrived at Opeongo Secondary School, outside of Eganville, Ont.
The setup was fairly simple to these well-trained teenagers. They had already done it 13 times over the past year.
Within an hour and a half, the band was set up, sound checks were done and the musicians were dressed and ready to perform.

The band was hyped for the performance. But no one knew whether that was because of a lack of sleep or the excitement about the first day of a tour.
By 3 p.m., the band was loaded back on the bus and ready to go to the hotel, which was more than an hour away.
It took the students less than 10 minutes to find the pool at the hotel.
Norm McIntosh, a teacher as well as director of the band, made it clear to the students that they must behave or be sent to their hotel room while their friends were having fun.
McIntosh has supervisory help on these trips. This time around, he was accompanied by two teachers, one parent and four alumni chaperones.
At the hotel, the Ryder truck driver also helped keep the students in line.
This year, the students were very well behaved. They had a lot of responsibility resting on their shoulders. They were representing the school, Action Sudbury and Child Find Sudbury.
After swimming, the students chose from playing in the games room of the hotel, eating supper, going to their rooms or, as some chose, playing on the swing set outside the hotel.
There is a wide gap in age and maturity between the Grade 7 and OAC students.
The youngest student in the band this year was in Grade 8.
By 10:30 p.m., the chaperones announced lights out. Most of the students were asleep within an hour. But like every school trip, there were a few who decided to stay up all night.
All night is actually only until about 4:30 a.m.
The students were on the road again to the next destination by 6 a.m. The schedule would continue for another day and a half. Then they would go home.
The other venues Evolutionary band played were North Hastings Secondary School in Bancroft and Bracebridge/Muskoka Secondary School in Bracebridge.
Many people do not realize the number of hours and the hard work that is done by these exceptionally dedicated teenagers.
In order to stay in the band, they must practice at home, rehearse at school and perform no matter what.
McIntosh is known for the saying, “the show must go on,” and he means it to almost incomparable limits.