AP Euro’s New York Trip
AP Euro students visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
AP European History teacher Jeffrey Feinstein took 11 students on a field trip to New York City on Mar. 5, 2016. The trip to New York is an annual event that has taken place every school year for the past 5 years. Keeping with the theme of West Potomac’s AP Euro classes, the students on the trip got to view a plethora of different architectural styles that are present in The United States’ largest city.
“We went to St. Patrick’s cathedral, which was an example of gothic architecture. We also went to the Empire State Building, which was an example of art-deco architecture, “ said Feinstein.
Feinstein elaborated upon the importance of the NYC field trip, saying that the trip serves to enhance the student’s learning experience.
“It has to do with experiential learning, which uses museums and other places as an extension of the classroom,” said Feinstein. “It’s exciting to study art in person, [and] to see it up close is amazing.”
Aside from the art-centered landmarks, students also visited many other New York staples.
“We also saw several Big Apple landmarks including…Trump Tower, and the original Macy’s. I got to try some fine cuisine, including poulet roti from La Bonne Soupe and the famous New York black and white cookie,” said senior Jonathan Flowers.
Students try black and white cookies.
The field trip is also designed with the intention of creating a connection between what the students see and what they study in the classroom. All of the students participating in this field trip all take AP European History.
“AP Euro focuses a lot on art as a vehicle to understand the sentiment of the intelligentsia of the time. While not all of the art was European, we were able to gain experience in interpreting the emotion or reason or artistic movement that influenced any given piece,” said Flowers. “I got a significant cultural impact by visiting the city and the museum…It was exciting to explore the city with my colleagues and our experienced tour guide, Mr. Feinstein.”
Junior Shataj Ali also felt positively about the field trip, saying that it emphasized art in a way that can only be found in classes exclusively focused on visual arts, such as Studio Art.
“I learned a lot on the trip about art, which we normally don’t focus on in school unless you take an art class. Overall it was a great trip, I would definitely recommend students who are interested in art or art history take AP Euro next year,” said Ali.
