November 16th was no ordinary school day for students from Mr. Bartlett’s photography and studio art classes, as well as students from Mrs. Kist’s drawing and painting class. Only a short 40-minute bus ride away, the group traveled to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Before arriving, the students from Mr. Bartlett’s classes were given a challenge- a scavenger hunt featuring iconic paintings such as Monet’s “Poplars” and Thomas Eakins’, “The Gross Clinic.” For 11th grade photography student Jon Dong, the scavenger hunt initially posed a challenge. “At first,” he recalled on the bus ride back to school, “I didn’t know how to find the paintings, so I was trying to enjoy the museum, but I also had this added pressure of needing to complete a scavenger hunt.” However, a revelation during the trip turned things around for him. “I found out that if you click on the link, it tells you where the room is, so then it was actually pretty easy. If I knew at first it told you where the room was, then I could have just laid back and thought, ‘I’ll get to the room when I get to the room,’ you know?”
Molly Hurst, a 10th grade student from Mrs. Kist’s art class, shared her positive experience on the trip. “I liked the freedom we were given to just wander around the museum with whoever we wanted, to see whatever we wanted to see, and I had a great time,” she shared. Although Molly didn’t have many friends in her art class, she saw the trip as an opportunity. “It was a good chance for me to spend some time with people, like juniors and seniors, who I normally wouldn’t hang out with.”
Molly Hurst (left) and Paige Abenssinio (right, '26)
enjoying the artworking at the museum
Anish Vakalapudi, a senior in his first year in an art class, reflected on the trip with enthusiasm. “It was a pretty fun trip to go on. We got to see a lot of the most preeminent painters and artists.” However, Anish shared that he wasn’t completely satisfied with the trip. “Honestly, I wish it was a little bit longer, I felt rushed. We had to leave as soon as we finished lunch.”
After a couple of hours inside the museum, the students gathered for lunch in the beautiful park next to the museum. They ate ham and cheese sandwiches, as well as food from the museum’s cafe, shared thoughts about the artwork they had seen, and took a large group picture.
At 2 o’clock, the students said goodbye to the museum and boarded the bus back to school. On the way back, Jon shared a final thought about the experience. “I loved the nice break away from school and it was a great chance to hang out with my friends and go look at some really cool pieces of artwork.”
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