Over spring break, the fine arts department–including choir, band, drama and dance–had the opportunity to go to New York. The trip consisted of tourist activities as well as classes in their respective art and an opportunity to perform.

On the first day arriving in New York, after a 19 hour bus ride, students took a tour of the city and Central Park. From there, they went to the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building to look over the city. Students went to the memorial at Ground Zero, where they saw the two fountains lined with the names of all of those who lost their lives on 9/11. The day concluded with a slight mix up, with two buses mistakenly going to Chelsea’s Pier, then later reunited with the third bus at the intended destination of Chelsea’s Market.

Day two began with a tour of New York’s well-known arena, Madison Square Garden. The tour brought the students not only into the huge arena, but also behind the scenes into the most expensive suite and the locker rooms. Afterward, groups toured the Lincoln Center of the Arts. The entire group enjoyed dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and then finished off the evening exploring Times Square.

On the third day of the trip, the group took a ferry to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty. While there, the choir performed around the American flag for the rest of the group and other tourists. After lunch on Liberty Island, the drama students took a ferry to New Jersey to collaborate with other students from Bloomfield High School. The rest of the department took a ferry to Ellis Island for a short exploration of the museum. From there, the students shopped on Fifth Avenue, followed by dinner in Trump Tower. To conclude, the students went to a fantastic Broadway showing of “The Phantom of the Opera.”

The final day in New York began with learning opportunities for different groups of students. The band and choir had their workshop at the National Opera America Center. The dancers were a block away taking a dance class with Charity, a performer who just concluded five years in the Broadway show, “The Lion King.”

After their classes, small groups broke up to get lunch in Times Square. Then the buses took the students to the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum for the band and dance team to perform. After enjoying the sights at the museum, the group had dinner in Little Italy. Their last outing before leaving New York was exploring China Town and Little Italy before boarding the bus to return home.

Overall, the trip was one the students will never forget, taking away more knowledge in their art forms and of the city.