This past Saturday Teens Club rewarded 6 students for their hard work throughout the school year with a trip to New York City. It was a wonderful adventure! The group kicked off their NYC experience with lunch at a local pizza joint complete with a pizza tossing show. The group then hopped on the subway to Battery Park to board the Staten Island Ferry for a view of the Manhattan skyline and a glimpse of the Stature of Liberty and Ellis Island. Students were mesmerized by the sites. One student commented that his favorite part of the trip was listening to the many different buskers in the subway stations. The trip concluded with the Times Square grand finale. Awestruck by the ferris wheel they unanimously chose to visit Toys R’ Us the the Hershey store where Jolly Ranchers were the candy of choice.

Sometimes middle school students can be “too cool for school” but in Times Square, they were filled with childlike wonder. With tired feet and minimal complaining, we walked the final half mile trek to the bus and headed home to Virginia. It was a whirlwind of a day and everyone agreed that the trip was a success. We hope new experiences like these and exposure to new places will inspire our students to dream big dreams and reach beyond what is known.

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