On Wednesday, January 21, 2015, students from Upper St. Clair High School departed for their trip to New York City. The students reached their hotel in Newark, New Jersey late on Wednesday night and spent the next three days visiting famous sites in the Big Apple, including the United Nations Headquarters, Rockefeller Center, Ellis Island, and Times Square.
Students qualified to go on the trip if they were taking German or International Studies at the high school or if they were members of German Club. Nearly 50 students traveled to New York City with Frau Baird, World Languages Curriculum Leader, and three parental chaperones.
Despite their late arrival, students headed for the United Nations Headquarters at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. They toured the building and learned about the business conducted by foreign and national representatives who work at the UN. They also met with a representative from the German Mission.
Maggie Hua, a senior, says it was “really interesting to be in the same building as world leaders and famous people who [have given] speeches to promote various causes.”
Students also visited Rockefeller Center on Thursday. Hua notes, “I liked going to the top of Rockefeller Center because it was a really pretty day, and we were able to see across all of Manhattan.”
After the students descended 850 feet from the top of the building, they went to dinner in Manhattan’s Little Italy.
On Friday, the students took the Staten Island Ferry from Battery Park to Ellis Island, where they learned about immigration to the United States in the 1800s and the 1900s. They followed their history lesson with lunch at an authentic German restaurant. Frau Baird says it “was a new restaurant both to us and to New York.”
The students then paid their respects to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the National September 11 Memorial.
In the evening, students went to the Orpheum Theatre to see a production called STOMP. Taylor Smith, a senior, reveals that STOMP was her favorite part of the trip. She says, “[The performers] used a bunch of different objects to make music, and even though they didn’t talk, it was really cool.”
On their last day in the Empire City, students toured the Museum of New York City and visited Central Park as well as Fifth Avenue. They ended their journey by dining at various restaurants in Times Square. The trip proved entertaining and educational.
Smith says, “I learned that New York is a lot more diverse than I thought, and it is actually an international city.”
Planning for the trip to New York City started last summer. Hua says, “Frau Baird, who is the sponsor of German Club, and the officers of German Club met a few times to discuss the itinerary and the cost. We talked to Metro Tours, Inc., […] and once the administration approved our itinerary, [we had] people sign-up for the trip.”
Frau Baird says that the one obstacle she faced while planning the trip concerned booking their tour at the UN. Because of recent bursts of terrorism, the UN would not permit her to book their tour until one month prior to their trip. She says that she and the students “crossed their fingers” and were fortunate enough to visit the UN.
The students returned from their trip on Saturday, January 24, with knowledge and memories to share with their peers.