On Nov. 4, students in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme and any students taking an IB class were given the opportunity to travel to New York City and enjoy a day walking through Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET). Their day started early with a 6:45 a.m. departure from the high school for an arrival in New York around 10 a.m.
Headed directly to Central Park, the group of 50 students were then split into groups of 10 and were able to explore the hundreds of acres. For two hours, the small groups walked, taking in the good weather and fall foliage.
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, construction on Central Park began in 1858 and continued for about 15 years. Now it stands as a reminder of the natural world and its beauty in the midst of urban development. The park also contains a wide variety of statues, monuments, bridges and other pieces of architecture that each tell its own story.
“I love Central Park because I’ve been there countless times before and have never gone where we went,” said senior Wyatte Lyons. “Finding new paths that I did not even know existed was really cool and being there with my art friends made it even better.”
Meeting on the museum steps at 12:30 p.m., students and staff then entered the MET. Students had the opportunity to explore the museum for three hours at their own pace, given they were in groups of two or more. Covering 2 million square feet and three stories available to the public, the students had much to discover.
“I could wander in its halls for hours, just completely admiring the beauty of every painting and sculpture. Each gallery feels like its own world and has so many details” said senior Julia Ramos.
The Met houses over 2 million works of art with diverse galleries including: Egyptian Art, European Paintings, American Art, Asian Art and Greek and Roman Art. Major works by artists like Van Gogh, Andy Warhol and Picasso are included in the vast collections.
“It was a very cool experience getting to see all of the artwork there, especially Claude Monet paintings because it’s been a dream of mine to see his work in person,” said senior Kaitlyn Young.
After a long drive back through New York rush hour, the group returned to the high school around 7:15 p.m. as an end to the eventful day.
Photo credits to Mrs Sweeney and Riley McGahren; last picture Sidney Gumiran.
