Start spreading the news
We’re leaving in June
We want to be a part of it
New York, New York …
(with apologies to lyricist Fred Ebb)

Eighth grade students and staff members will spend June 1, 2, and 3 in New York City. Fundraising efforts are underway. You will see students out and about selling raffle tickets, babysitting, putting on breakfasts and dinners, and hosting movie nights and dances. We are always looking for new fundraising ideas.

We have been taking our students to New York City for the past few years, but this year much more has been added to our itinerary.

Day One finds us arriving at AE/MS very early and boarding our bus. Other than a few necessary rest area stops along the way, our first real stop will be Grand Central Station. All aboard!

Next up is Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, followed by a little window shopping along Fifth Avenue. Students will see Saks Fifth Avenue, Trump Tower, Tiffany and Company, and the Apple Store while getting fresh air and exercise.

Then we have a backstage tour of Madison Square Garden, followed by dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. As evening sets, in we’ll ready for a night view of the city from the Empire State Building Observatory. Finally, we’ll head to our hotel by way of the Theater District and Times Square.

The next morning, after a good night’s sleep (right, students?), we head into the city bright and early to board a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Then we are back on our bus and headed to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. From past trips, we know to allow for lots of time at the museum. It is not meant to be rushed through. 

After the museum, we’ll visit Greenwich Village and then SoHo. We’ll make a quick wardrobe change in order to dress for dinner and a show. We’ll dine at Buca di Beppo and then it’s off to Broadway to see Matilda at the Shubert Theatre. It will be late when we return to the hotel, but we’ll have had the full NYC experience.

We’ll be up early, and after breakfast we’ll tour Upper Manhattan, including the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Riverside Church, Grant’s Tomb, and then Harlem. Then we’ll head to Central Park and spend some time. We’ll see Strawberry Fields, the Bethesda Fountain, and the Alice in Wonderland sculpture. Our last stop will be at the American Museum of Natural History, where we will take time to explore the exhibits.

Then it’s time to board the bus for the trip home.The weary travelers will return to Andover with lots of great memories from their last trip together as a class.

As mentioned, fundraising is underway. If anyone has any creative and profitable fundraising ideas, please let us know. It is sometimes difficult in a small town to fundraise, because we want to be respectful of other organizations who are also fundraising. We also don’t want to keep taking money from the same people over and over again.

However, we are not afraid of hard work! Let us know if you’ve got some projects or ideas. Of course, donations are always accepted and very appreciated.