After many months of preparation and anticipation, G.V.C. band instructor Mr. Paul Moen believes that, "This was a mile stone for many students, it's something we have looked forward to for months."

About 3000 students from 60 different schools attended the Rocky Mountain Festival, located in Banff, Alberta. The ages ranged from Grade 7 all the way to Senior 4. Many of the students came from Western Canada, as well as other provinces from Canada and some from the USA.

Directors were impressed with the quality of the performances and the adjudicators. Students were able to hear many different kinds of performances from choirs, bands and jazz ensembles. Watching other groups inspires students to perform their best. In the evening, they also learned by listening to highlights of professional performances.

This was the second time that Garden Valley Collegiate had the privilege of attending the festival with about 115 students going. GVC students left April 25 and arrived back home on April 30. To be accepted to the Rocky Mountain Festival, choirs and bands submit performances from the previous year and are later told whether they are accepted or not. The festival is a non-competitive event where students can enjoy learning and listening to other schools.

Many students found the Mountains to be a great experience and highlight. Other highlights included going up the Gondola, spending an evening at the Upper Hot Springs and to end it all off GVC students spent nearly five hours at the West Edmonton Mall before heading home. "It was a nice ending to the hectic weekend we had before," states Corey Hildebrand, "There were no time restrictions. We could just keep going throughout the day."

To help students bring the cost down from the festival, GVC had numerous of fundraisers, which were very successful. If the students took time to go out and fundraise they could have paid off for the whole trip.