Chetwynde pupils enjoy memorable trip to New York

Pupils from Chewtynde School enjoyed the educational trip of a lifetime to New York – made only more memorable when they were snowed in and had to stay an extra day.

The 40 students and staff enjoyed a packed five-day itinerary of the museums, financial district and cultural landscape this month with a focus on maths skills and the arts.

They visited the National Museum of Mathematics and Top of the Rock Observatory, had dinner at the famous Ellen’s Stardust Diner and watched “Moulin Rouge” on Broadway.

The also took a guided Wall Street tour, including visits to the Stock Exchange, Federal Reserve Bank, and Federal Hall before an afternoon of reflection at the 9/11 Memorial Museum and Staten Island Ferry viewing the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan’s skyline.

Maths and Computing teacher James Crayston, who organised the trip, said the pupils had loved the packed schedule.

“We wanted to fit lots of experiences into our time in New York and the pupils’ enthusiasm for learning all about the city was amazing. They also loved the shopping and the diner culture, which is what makes New York so special.

“On the last day we went to Central Park to visit film locations including the iconic snowball fight scene from Elf and it was very cold but little did we expect to be in our own snowstorm later.”

After a foot of snow fell within two hours as they boarded the plane, their flight was cancelled due to the extreme weather.

“What followed was a masterclass in patience and resilience from our pupils,” said Mr Crayston. “After a long delay at the airport we managed to get a hotel and then it was a team effort from the staff who made all the alternative arrangements to get everyone safely home 24 hours later.

“The pupils were brilliant and have made the trip the success it has been – the delay due to the extreme weather made it all the more memorable.

“While the educational trip provided invaluable academic enrichment, the lessons learned during their extended return journey were equally significant,” he said.

Mr Crayston thanked everyone who had sponsored the trip including 17Sport, who provided hoodies for the students, tour operator Travelbound and Fussells coaches, who offered to collect the group from any UK airport at short notice.

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