As students of Chesterfield County we have been taught that diligence is an imperative trait, and in due time hard work pays off and will be rewarded in spite of the many obstacles faced. We have also learned as students that it is our duty to stand up for what we believe in. 

For instance, we do in fact believe that the Corona-virus requires actions and restrictions in order to contain the disease. However, we do not feel as though our trips to both North Carolina and Tennessee, put us in more danger to spread the disease than in Chesterfield, Virginia. Currently, both of theses states have similar numbers of confirmed cases. Therefore, we have similar risks of becoming infected here as we do there. 

Moreover, we do understand that this is a trip approved by the school board; however, it is not school funded. The money we spent on this trip is nonrefundable, and it is the product of tireless fundraising and our parent's long hours as well as some of our own. We do feel as though those who are not comfortable traveling should have the right to stay here, but those of us willing to take the risk do not believe that the county is liable on the rare occasion that one of us actually contracts the virus. Not only have we worked hard to pay for this trip, but we also labored tirelessly to perfect our show in order to compete at this high stake competition in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Show Choir is our passion. We have sacrificed long days and nights and shed blood, sweat, and tears on stage, not only to entertain, but to move people to feel the same emotional connection that we have  performing. We recently won the title of Grand Champions along with a few other awards in a West Virginia competition where we also received news coverage, and in this past weekend we held our very own competition the Koste Classic right here in Chesterfield at Manchester High School. This season has been an amazing experience for us and we were hoping to continue to show off more of our craft this season. Most of the trips effected by this "travel ban" are trips taken by music programs, such as chorus, band, and orchestra. For some of us this is our only outlet, and for many of us it is our last chance to share our love for music and performance as we go off to college next year to find new passions.

With that, we implore you, the Chesterfield County School Board, to reconsider your decision to cancel our long-awaited trip to Nashville as our nine months of hard work and large sums of money should not go to waste, but rather we should be able to exemplify the talents of Chesterfield among others for we cannot live in fear. We propose to have our parents, chaperones, and other participants of the trip sign forms stating that we are willing accept the risks associated with embarking upon our anticipated venture.