On Friday, March 7th, 45 students from Westfield Area High School and 17 chaperones departed for their spring break trip to New York City! Westfield takes this trip every four years to ensure that all students have the opportunity to attend this trip once in their high school careers. On this trip, students experienced a variety of arts and culture including: learning a Broadway song with the music director from Wicked, seeing two Broadway musicals (Wicked and Hadestown), attending the NBC Today Show, exploring Chinatown and Little Italy, touring the 9/11 Memorial Museum and Radio City Hall, giving an outstanding performance at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and exploring the city through going to the top of the Rockefeller Center, exploring Times Square, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, touring Grand Central Station, walking through Central Park, and taking a dinner cruise to see the Statue of Liberty.
This trip was a once and a lifetime experience for students, and helped them to broaden their knowledge of the world. Ben Anason told director Madelaine Trewin, "Singing at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is one of the coolest and most meaningful experiences I have ever had. I will never forget what it felt like to sing in this space". Other students commented on other experiences that positively impacted them, and would stay with them far beyond graduation. Ella Carroll commented, "This trip was truly unforgettable! I had the best time exploring so many incredible places with my best friend!" Weeks after the trip, students are still buzzing about their experiences. Katie Moody said, 'Going to New York was an incredible experience. It was crazy seeing a place that I had only ever seen in movies. Experiencing things like Broadway and Times Square was everything I had hoped for and more- if I could go again, I would!"
Several community members and community organizations, including the Donald W. and M. Marilyn Anderson Foundation, the Adams County Farm Bureau, and Revita Dance Studio, donated to this trip to help provide scholarship support for many of the students on the trip. From the relentless fundraising from Mrs. Madelaine Trewin the past four years, and these incredibly gracious donations, Westfield Area Choir Department was able to offer over $10,000 in scholarships to ensure that all students interested had the opportunity to attend this once in a lifetime trip. Thank you to everyone in the Westfield community who donated to support the students on this trip.
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