Sugarloaf School Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Students Attend South Florida Symphony in Marathon

Fourth- and fifth-grade students from Sugarloaf School traveled to Marathon on Feb. 24, 2026, to attend the South Florida Symphony performance “250 Years — The Declaration of Independence,” Monroe County Schools posted. Monroe County Schools thanked partnering organizations in its notice: “Our 4th and 5th grade students were able to attend the South Florida Symphony Performance ‘250 Years—The Declaration of Independence’ in Marathon today. We would like to thank the Symphony, the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys and MCSD for this opportunity.”

Sugarloaf School is listed on the district site at 255 Crane Boulevard, Sugarloaf, FL 33042, with school phone 305-745-3282, and the district post serves as the primary public record for the Feb. 24 trip. The district message explicitly acknowledges the South Florida Symphony and the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys alongside MCSD, but it does not specify how many 4th- and 5th-grade students attended or which school staff chaperoned the excursion.

Keysarts, the local arts council, ties orchestral field trips to its classroom programs and names the teaching artists who support those events. Keysarts notes: “Teaching Artist Donna Wissinger leads the learning during the South Florida Symphony performance.” Keysarts documents a related project, Preserving Our Coral Reefs: Teams of Success, which received a $1,500 grant and, it states, “The completed project included in-school programs and culminating symphony orchestra concerts.” Keysarts further describes the program’s goals: “The main purpose of the program was to educate grade 3-5 school students about the dynamic ecosystem that is off their shores and to inspire them to consider STEAM fields of study in order to participate in the preservation of that system. Students were also introduced to the exciting world of the symphony musician and the power of music to communicate energy, wonder, and beauty.”

Keysarts also reports $20,663 in direct arts funding for 2023-2024 and lists a Schools at The Studios grant awarded at $1,750 with the coordinator and teaching artist identified: “The coordinator for Schools at The Studios is Bria Ansara, a visual and performing artist and former art teacher at May Sands Montessori.”

Public records supplied by Monroe County Schools and Keysarts confirm the Feb. 24, 2026 field trip and show ongoing investment in arts-integrated learning for grades 3-5. Missing from the public postings are the exact Marathon venue for the Symphony performance, the headcount of Sugarloaf 4th- and 5th-graders who attended, and any dollar amounts the Community Foundation or MCSD contributed to this specific trip. Sugarloaf School’s office at 255 Crane Boulevard, Sugarloaf, FL 33042, phone 305-745-3282 maintains the school’s records for parents and community members seeking further details.