Cougars Go East to DC & NYC

On Liberty Island with View of NYC

On Liberty Island with View of NYC

Jasmine Varelas, Co Editor of A&E and Opinion

Over Spring Break, while many of us were catching up on our sleep, a lucky few flew to the east coast with our Ms. Lange, who was born and raised in NYC, and Mrs. Bouchard, who always wanted to visit NYC and jumped at the opportunity. The itinerary included all the sights New York City is known for: a Broadway show, Times Square, top of the Empire State Building, the 9/11 memorial, and more. They were also fortunate to visit our country’s capital, Washington D.C . It ended up being a girls’ trip as no guys signed up.  Every girl who was fortunate enough to attend this trip all agreed that the 9/11 memorial was the most moving part of the trip. Sophomore Marixa Zazueta said that their were two rooms in the museum/ memorial that really got to her. “The first room had little descriptions of people who died and sometimes even voice recordings about them from friends and family.  That’s where I first started crying.  The second room was not even a whole room it was just a section of people and quotes about people who chose to jump instead of burning alive.” Senior Jordan Drath stated, “It was surreal to be standing where something so tragic happened.”

Senior Aries Thornton said that Times Square surprised her. “I knew from pictures of what it looked like, but in person there is so much going on and it is bright. I kind of got lost in it because it was so cool to see.” Although Jordan had difficulty choosing one part that was her favorite because she loved the entire trip, she stated, “I would say experiencing a day full of snow in D.C.!  Walking out of the Capitol to inches of snow on the ground with snow still falling was beautiful and unforgettable.” Mariza, who is highly involved in the Drama department and hopes to someday move to NYC and be a director was enthralled with the Broadway musical they saw- “Once On This Island”.  “It was definitely the most complex show I’ve seen tech-wise…they even had a scene where it rained on one of the characters.  Costumes were made out of recycled materials.  It was absolutely stunning.”

When asked if the $2,000 was worth the trip senior Jordan Drath replied, “The trip was definitely worth the money! I was able to pay for the entire trip in a matter of 3 months on my own. Anyone can do it! It’s not everyday you get to walk the streets of New York or Washington.” Freshman Megan Rasey agreed. “We got to do a lot more than we were told and we got the full experience!” Everyone agreed that they would like to go back again someday.  Ms. Lange takes students on trips every year – in 2019 the trip will be Italy and Greece with a 3-day island cruise.  You can see her in room 207 if interested or get pricing and the itinerary by going to: https://www.explorica.com/Lange-8421

Here are some pictures of their amazing trip:

In Central Park
Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge

Snow Storm Hits the Capitol

Raining in front of the White House