All 90 students heading on the DECA Hershey trip are obliged to leave 12 hours early due to weather conditions.

The original plan was to leave before homeroom on Wednesday, Feb. 20, but with at least six inches of snow heading our way, Mrs. Smoller (BP DECA sponsor) decided to take action to make sure her students were at no means stuck in Bethel Park for this big event.

The students will be leaving at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19.

Unfortunately, some students have conflicts with the departure change. The boys hockey team has a big game at 7 p.m. at Peters Township.

Senior hockey player Nick Guimond had this to say if his teammates would miss the game tonight: “We’re fighting for first place, so I think they are totally justified in staying for us.”

Also, there are some students at Harvard University for a forensics tournament. Their flight back home is at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and then they have to get back on the road for the conference.

The departure time change is also an inconvenience to all of the DECA members who work. Since they are leaving at 7:30, most students will need someone to cover their shift.

A good bit of the students going on this trip have a conflict, but those who don’t are getting on the grind to win the gold.

Good luck to all the students and staff going on the trip, and bring back the gold!