CLASS CHAT
Students get their first taste
of life in the ‘Big Apple’
F
ollowing a much needed rest after an actionpacked few days in New York, sixth former
Katie Swift recounts some of the experiences
her and fellow students from St.Dominic’s
Priory School, Senior School had on their recent trip
to New York.
“Having never been to America before, I was so
excited to head off to New York with my school
friends, Miss Capper and Mrs Talbot. We began the
long journey from school early on the morning of
17th October, flying with Virgin Atlantic Airlines.
Arriving at JFK Airport on time we checked into our
hotel which was in a prime New York location and
headed off on a walking tour of the Big Apple. The
weather was crisp and the sun was shining, which
meant that the city looked incredible. We saw so
many wonderful sights on this tour, but comfy shoes
were a must due to the size of the city! We sampled
true American cuisine on many occasions, eating in
authentic American diners and trying frozen
yoghurt for the first time - it was delicious.
“Waking up fresh on Saturday morning we set
off on a boat trip to Liberty Island, where we
managed to get some brilliant photographs of the
Statue of Liberty. We followed this with an
emotional visit to the 9/11 Memorial. We spent time
in silence to remember those whose lives were taken
away from them on that dreadful day. A trip to the
Empire State Building, which we climbed to give us
fantastic views over the New York skyline, this
reminded us of the city's determination to carry on.
“Sunday was the day for shopping, we managed
to get through quite a few of our dollars! We spent
a few hours in the legendry Macy’s department
store, before taking our seats for a new Broadway
Show, ‘Newsies.’ This was great fun; the songs were
catchy and the choreography was spectacular. We
even managed to get the autographs of some of the
actors at the end of the performance!
“On our final day, we visited the Guggenheim Art
Museum and participated in a fascinating
workshop, producing art work based on the
exhibition around us. This was followed by a trip to
the amazing shops on Fifth Avenue and a lovely
walk around Central Park.
“After such a fun-packed few days, everyone was
exhausted! Our trip to New York was a fantastic
experience that I will never forget. Everyone was
extremely friendly and generous, and I hope that I
44 December 2013/ January 2014
• Katie and friends take in the sights of NYC
• Performing Arts Prefects Eve and Suzy celebrate Arts
Award success with Arts Coordinator Mrs Abbotts
• With the NYPD in Times Square
will get the chance to go back at some point in the
future.”
In other school news staff and pupils at St Dom’s
were celebrating being awarded the Arts Council’s
prestigious Artsmark Gold award again for a third
consecutive year.
Artsmark identifies a school offering a well
planned, quality Arts education which supports the
cultural development of all students. Artsmark
supports Arts Council England’s goal of ensuring
that every child and young person has the
opportunity to experience the richness of the Arts
and culture.
The Arts Council has recently raised the level
required for all elements of this award to a much
higher level, making the school’s success even more
of a wonderful achievement.