Fine arts students at DVSS had the chance to soak in the style and culture of the Big Apple in the school’s triennial fine arts travel program.
Teachers Virginia Sakofsky, Becky Neuman, and Roger Hamm brought 18 high school students to New York City for eight days at the end of March. Sakofsky said the trip was revelatory for the students.
“These trips provide not only life skills but a deeper opportunity to experience the fine arts, while also giving students tools in areas they’re interested in that simply aren’t available here in Drumheller,” she said.
The itinerary was chock full of New York icons and must-sees: they walked Central Park, Greenwich Village, took in the Broadway production of Something Rotten and even took part in a drama workshop where they learned music from the show, visited Chinatown, the Statue of Liberty, Radio City Music Hall, and the Guggenheim, where they made art and drew architecture and learned about use and trends in art. Perhaps the most poignant was their visit to the World Trade Centre site.
“These kids were toddlers when 9/11 happened. They got a chance to see it in a different light, from a first hand account. They asked me what that day was like,” Sakofsky said. “Tough on the heart, this experience was, but nonetheless valuable.”
She said coming from a rural area to the concrete jungles of Gotham city was a jolting experience, where it’s hard to find a blade of grass outside of the city’s massive Central Park. Coming from the big skies of Alberta to the tall skylines and busy streets of New York was an experience in itself.
“At different times we all hit the breaking point, but like life, it’s necessary to develop ways to pull out of those moods and to support each other when there’s stress. It’s a whole different growing experience for young adults.”
The group maintained a blog throughout the trip, recording each day’s activities in words and photos so family and relatives could keep up with the tours daily. It can be viewed at www.dvssnewyork.weebly.com.
Fine arts students, three years ago, visited London and Paris, and Sakofsky said she plans on taking a group in another three years to Eastern Music for a music focused exchange.
