During the half term Y10 and Y11 Drama and History students were lucky enough to experience an amazing trip to NYC.
We kicked it off with a short subway ride to the 9/11 Memorial which was a poignant moment that sparked many emotions throughout. We spent time looking at the sites of the Twin Towers and the memorials to the lives lost. Inside the museum we split into groups, we saw artifacts from the wreckage and many of the survivors’ personal belongings. As well, as the survivors’ belongings we saw many of the heart wrenching missing person posters from families torn apart on 9/11. We were also lucky enough to witness many NYPD cadets seeing the museum shortly before their graduation outside of the building. It was interesting to see so many new officers making their pledge.
After, we took a subway to the MOMA where we competed in our groups to find certain paintings, each group had the mission of finding 5 paintings from a variety of artists and one statue, unfortunately most of us were unable to find our statue because of works being done in the garden, nevertheless one group were able to find theirs and secure the win. Congratulations to the Y11 boys, who each received a NY Yankees baseball cap as a prize! Whilst searching for our paintings, we got to appreciate the amazing pieces of work being displayed, as well as our art students taking a special interest in many of the famous artworks.
In the afternoon, after we all had a nice lunch in Bryant Park, we split into two groups. One group went to the UN and had a tour of the building and a visit to Grand Central Station with Mr. Batty and Mr. Settle. The rest of us went with Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Cotton to Pearl Studios to participate in a musical theatre workshop. The workshop started with a vocal warm-up led by a Broadway musical director, followed by learning one of the songs from “Sunset Boulevard.” We then got going with some choreography, taught to us by one of the cast from the show, and eventually put it all together to perform the number. The workshop ended with a Q&A along with some valuable advice from both, overall, a once in a lifetime experience.
As we all merged back into one group, we headed over towards Gayles Broadway Rose to enjoy a nice dinner as well as watching the waiters perform. The singers were extremely talented and friendly, and it was incredibly fun interacting with all of them. Once the meal had finished, we walked to St James Theatre to see the live production of Sunset Boulevard starring Nicole Scherzinger. Her singing was phenomenal! The show was amazing and had a thrilling yet comedic theme to it and we really enjoyed the way it was directed. Not forgetting the countless standing ovations for the outstanding talent on stage. By the end of the show, we were all quite tired, however, throughout the day we had a lot of fun exploring the city and making unforgettable memories with our friends.
On our last day we got the subway to Harlem to go on the Civil Rights tour which we found intriguing and told us about the amazing history of the Civil Rights and how it affected Americans. After the tour, we headed to Central Park where we walked from Harlem to Strawberry Fields, where we all went for lunch. Then we walked to Rockefeller Center and did some shopping. We then went back to the hotel for a rest after a busy day.
To get to our last meal at the Hard Rock Café, we walked through Time Square. The Hard Rock Café was also a wonderful experience as we had great food and enjoyed looking at all the music memorabilia on display.
Finally, we walked over to the Empire State Building to see New York from a different perspective. Walking through the Empire State Building we were told all about the hard work and history put into this fantastic building. Then we got the lift to the 86th floor and the views were just out of this world. At night the city looks so beautiful, all lit up, we made sure to take loads of pictures.
Overall, it was an amazing trip that we will never forget and as a group. The teachers truly made this trip unforgettable, from the Broadway show to the walk-through Central Park, this trip was filled with adventure thanks to Mrs. Robinson, Mr. Batty, Mr. Settle, and Mrs. Cotton. We cannot express how thankful we are for this opportunity and the time they took to make it special!
Magnus, Lucia and Isla – Y10
