Coronavirus school closures: Bermudian students continue national anthem from home

With all Pennsylvania schools closed until further notice, three East Berlin, Adams County teens have found a way to bring some normalcy back to life while also showing their love for America.   

Steve Gautsch, 16, and his friend and neighbor, Ryan Gebhart, 15, started performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" from Steve’s front porch last Tuesday.

They’ve continued to play the national anthem each day around noon, with Steve on alto saxophone and Ryan on trumpet. Steve’s younger brother, Jack, 13, also takes part by proudly holding the Stars and Stripes as the two boys play. 

The trio started the tradition after the Gautsch's mother, Stacy, heard the anthem being played on a local radio station. The parents of the three boys approached them with the idea of playing and the teens immediately ran with it, practicing just a few hours before belting out their first rendition.   

Ryan and Steve are both in the marching band and concert band together at Bermudian Springs High School, and Jack, a seventh grader, has played percussion in the middle school. All three are members of the Boy Scouts in local troops as well.     

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“We wanted to bring happiness into our community even in the midst of troubling times,” Steve said. “Also, we wanted to remind everyone that we are Americans, and as Americans we should stick together even if we are isolated from each other.”

“This hopefully gives (people) something to lift their spirits and to remember that even though we are all separated, we are still part of one country,” Ryan added.

Ryan’s father, Derek Gebhart, has been broadcasting the boys’ performances using Facebook Live. His video from their inaugural performance on March 24 has been viewed over 15,000 times from people as far away as Australia and has garnered hundreds of comments of support.  

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For now, the neighborhood friends have no plans of stopping. They intend to continue playing daily until they are back in school or until the end of the semester. 

In a letter Wednesday, Bermudian Springs Superintendent Shane Hotchkiss announced the district would begin instruction using the Flexible Instructional Day model on April 1. The earliest students in the district would return to the physical classrooms is currently April 14.