by Mrs. Young
Last Thursday Mr. A. and I embarked on a Bostonian adventure with ten wildly excited eighth graders. This trip is a celebration of their middle school experience and the work they do during their eighth-grade year.
I thought I would write the Insight piece this week to share a little about the history of the trip and include some of the fun we had in Boston.
The Class of 2024 on Revere Beach near Boston. (Photo: C. Antonsen)
The eighth grade trip tradition started many years ago when Cathie Webber was Head of School. The eighth grade class would take a bus to St. Louis, Indianapolis, or Chicago for a short weekend of fun. These trips were always a feature of that year’s graduating class speeches. However, students and chaperones alike would tell you these trips began to feel a little stale and formulaic. So, a few years ago, as we began to reimagine eighth grade and the middle school advisory program, changes to the trip were among those items evaluated.
The Class of 2022 had a lot of responsibility that first year we left on our four-day journey to Washington, D.C. They had to prove to us that we could successfully take sixteen middle school students by plane, bus, and public transportation to stay in hotels with one another maturely and, just as importantly, be punctual and responsible. The trip was an overwhelming success leading to last year’s very rainy trip to NYC, and this year’s adventure to Boston.
At the beginning of each year, I talk to the class about the trip being a privilege not a right, and that they must do the work required to take the trip. The work is setting a good example for other middle school students, taking their event creation and planning seriously, and following through on their commitments. They’re burgeoning teenagers, so of course not everything goes according to plan, and some of the best memories are made in those unplanned moments.
Which brings me to the wonderful city of Boston. I think I fell in love with Boston. We landed at Logan Airport and immediately made our way to our hotel to drop off our bags and make the short walk to Faneuil Hall for lunch, shopping, and a bit of history. We capped off the first evening with a ghost tour in Boston Common. Although maybe the hunt for a public bathroom near Boston Common should have been an actual itinerary item!
Needless to say, we fell into bed exhausted that first night but woke up early the next morning for a private tour of Fenway Park. Exactly zero of our students knew much about baseball but all really enjoyed the tour. They were able to see behind the scenes areas and scale the Green Monster!
Fenway Park’s famed outfield wall known as the Green Monster, seen from the oldest wooden spectator seats in Major League Baseball. (Photo: C. Antonsen)
We were then off to the Paul Revere House for a private tour of the residence and the area surrounding his home. We wrapped day two with our fancy dinner celebrating two birthdays on the trip (Shivani and Mr. A.). It ended for the kids with an attempt at a Boston tea party. . . . Unfortunately for them, they didn’t know how to make tea (insert Mrs. Young laughing hysterically the next morning)!
Trying out the obligatory tricornered hats at the Lexington Visitors center. (Photo: C. Antonsen)
Day three had us traveling to Lexington to see the battle site that started the Revolutionary War and off to Salem to see The House of Seven Gables and the Salem Witch Museum. I’ll just speak for all of us when I say Salem Witch Museum—zero out of ten, do not recommend.
Checking out a diorama of the Battle of Lexington before touring the Green by foot. (Photo: K. Young)
After delivering a good scare in Salem, this statue busker called our travelers over for a winning group shot. (Photo: C. Antonsen)
The kids really, really wanted to see the beach even though it was still much too cold in New England for a proper beach day. So, of course we had to stop at Revere Beach for some quick photos, shell hunting, and to touch the water. We finished our night with Harper’s favorite roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s.
On Sunday, we were supposed to tour the Harvard campus, but due to the protests we decided to pivot and go to the New England Aquarium instead. The kids had a fantastic time and now all are the proud trackers of sharks, turtles, and penguins. I’ll let them share the names they selected ;).
Ten and all accounted for at Boston’s Logan Airport before returning home. (Photo: K. Young)
We returned home without a hitch, and while I’d love to share some of our inside jokes and special moments, I can’t. You’ll need to come to graduation to hear those.
Exhaustedly yours,
Mrs. Young