Last Friday, forty-six students from Old Rochester Regional High School spent the day in New York City. The group departed from the school at 6:30 am and arrived at the Museum of Natural History in NYC around 10:30 am. The students and chaperones enjoyed the museum’s abundance of exhibits before spending the remainder of the day in Central Park and Times Square.
“I think it’s very important to have education outside the classroom, and experience teaches,” said Merrideth Wickman, an English teacher and chaperone on the NYC trip.
The other chaperones agreed wholeheartedly. “When you get out into a world beyond our Tri-Town, it just opens your mind and you learn through osmosis,” said Nurse Kim Corazzini.
This is why the AFS club organizes a trip to NYC each year. With “just a taste” of the city, Corazzini says she hopes the students will feel more able to explore and learn on their own in the future.
This year, the senior class was invited on the trip along with AFS club members. On the ride home, many of the students expressed disappointment that they didn’t get to spend more time in the Museum of Natural History. Four hours simply wasn’t enough to see the ocean life exhibit, the African mammals exhibit, and everything in between.
These two examples of exhibits were among the students’ favorites. “The most memorable part would probably be going through the museum where all the taxidermy animals were, because they looked so realistic and in habitat,” said Nancy Pope, a senior student on the trip. “They did such a nice set up and you felt like you were with a living creature.”
Emily Hyde, another senior student, preferred the dinosaur exhibit. “I have not seen dinosaur bones before, so I really liked that experience,” she said happily.
One of the most interesting exhibits the group visited was the poison exhibit. The museum had elaborate displays, fascinating videos, and captivating speakers to describe the composition of poison and its uses throughout history. The exhibit also analyzed the use of poison in literature, covering everything from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
After exploring the Museum of Natural History, the group enjoyed a long walk through Central Park and into Times Square, where the students were given some free time to shop. Many students simply enjoyed walking through the streets, taking in the unique culture of the city life around them.
“My favorite part of [the trip] was probably when we were walking through Central Park,” said Cate Feldkamp, a sophomore student on the trip. “We started walking through the fashion district and we went over to Rockefeller Center. I thought that was really cool.”
While many students said the curious characters they saw in Times Square were their favorite part, Corazzini said she was just happy to get everyone on the bus at the end of the day. After a full head count, the trip was deemed a success.
In other news, Old Rochester Regional High School’s drama club held their annual cabaret and banquet this past weekend. Saturday’s cabaret was a night of talent, consisting of singing, dancing, and acting performances by student members of the club.
At Sunday’s banquet, every member of the cast and crew was recognized. Those who have participated in four shows earned their ORR letter and a drama club pin. Director Paul Sardinha announced that next fall’s show will be the radio version of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” After a vote, the drama club selected “Sweeny Todd” as their 2015 spring production, pending approval by the school committee.
By Renae Reints
