As the end of the third quarter approached, many students had been looking forward to field trips, such as the increasingly popular spring music trip with theater and dance.
While it remained undecided for months, it was finally announced that the musical and performative electives would have the opportunity to spend a Saturday in New York City on April 13. Students in band, choir, orchestra, dance companies, and theater electives had the opportunity to sign up for a chance at one of the limited tickets.
The trip was a jam-packed day, starting at 5:00 a.m. and ending at 11:00 p.m. After five hours on a bus, dance and theater students participated in Broadway workshops while band, orchestra, and choir students went sightseeing. At 2:00 p.m., the group went to the Winter Garden Theater to see the Broadway performance of “Back to the Future: The Musical.” After the three-hour production, everyone boarded the buses and went home.
As amazing as this trip sounds, it’s important to recognize that big trips like New York City and Disney World come with big prices. The trip to New York’s cost was estimated to be $215 to $250 excluding the meals, and next year’s pending trip to Disney World could cost between $1,500 to $2,000.
However, expensive field trips aren’t limited to the Music department; the German class also had an exciting opportunity this year.
Adam Thompson, a German student last year, said all the students taking German had the opportunity to pay $3,500 to go to Germany and Switzerland for 8 days over spring break, traveling to historical sites such as the BMW factory, the Dachau concentration camp, and the Linderhof Palace. They flew from Dulles International Airport in Virginia and took a connecting flight from Toronto to Frankfurt. After arriving in Germany, the students took a bus around the country and then to Switzerland.
This year, there was a much more affordable opportunity for all the World Language students to experience various cultures at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
Some art classes (Art II and higher, New Forms, and all Photo classes) were given the chance to try and get on the limited roster for another trip to the National Gallery of Art. The students would leave at the start of a normal school day and get back at 3:30 p.m. The gallery has also opened up a studio space for students to sketch and gather inspiration from the pieces in the gallery.
Of course, there are world languages that also go out with only a few classes to restaurants to experience their language’s famous cuisines. The French class goes to Old Ellicott City to eat at one of their multiple French restaurants. The Chinese classes have also gone out to eat hot pot together.
The field trips offered at Centennial by the elective classes highlight the emphasis the school places on real-world immersion and the application of what students are learning in the classroom.
rm/tk/yl/jy/ew
For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.
