Spanish Juniors and Seniors Travel to New York for a Day of Theater and Architecture

by Andrew Rowan ’19, Marketing and Communications Student Intern

On January 24, all 11th grade students and some 12th grade students studying Spanish traveled to New York City to see El Quijote in New York’s Repertorio Español Theater.

“It was very interesting,” said Chigozie Chukwunyere ’19. She added that while she had read parts of the book in Josefina Paolello’s Spanish IV Honors class, it was awesome to see the whole show bring the entire storyline together.

After the show, students visited the World Trade Center transportation hub and mall, The Oculus. The building was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, whom the students had studied prior to the trip.

“[The building] was very futuristic” said Neal Shah ’19. “I had never seen anything like it before.”

After breaking into small groups, students discussed amongst themselves in Spanish where they wanted to eat. Some enjoyed Shake Shack, while others enjoyed New York sandwiches and pizza.

On the walk back to the bus, students conversed in Spanish about what they ate and what it tasted like.

The faculty then led the students on a short walk to the 9/11 Memorial Pools, a somber moment as students had time for quiet reflection while looking over the water.

“All in all it was a great experience and I learned a lot about Spanish culture and architecture,” said Dylan Mitnick ’18. Over the next few days, students will review the play and the trip in class as a way to further their understanding of the show.