Recently, a group of nearly 30 students from James A. Garfield High School traveled to Cleveland for the opportunity to be tourists for the day. The program, dubbed, “City Day” by adventure organizer and James A. Garfield art teacher Libby Frato-Sweeney, began as an idea to take students on a big trip to a far-away destination. “I really enjoy travel and wanted to give our students the opportunity to see new places, but wanted to make it affordable to everyone.”
She noted that several prospective trips organized through foreign language classes had been cancelled due, in part, to the high cost involved. “Staying overnight with students involves charter buses and night chaperones and lots more money so I worked hard to do it one glorious day,” Frato-Sweeney explained. “I wanted as many kids as possible to experience this, but since there were limited tickets available (28) for the Broadway Show, we ended up limiting the trip to Art Club members (the sponsoring club) and a few other students who were friends of Art Club members,” Frato-Sweeney explained.
“My goal was to take one full day in a nearby city and try to squeeze as many amazing adventures as possible and make it affordable to anyone.” She noted that students had the option of selling lollipops to cover their costs, which worked well for many. This fun-filled day of adventure began at 8:45 am, when the school bus departed from GHS, and didn’t end until it returned to GHS close to 11 pm. The first stop was to the Cleveland Institute of Art, where students were taken on an hour-long tour of the facility. “I had never been to the Cleveland Institute of Art,” shared freshman Molly Ohlrich. Afterward, students departed for lunch at the West Side Market, Cleveland’s 105-year old institution that features over 100 diverse vendors of food from around the world. At the Market, students had the chance purchase lunch or enjoy one they brought from home.
Next, the group traveled to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, where they experienced the 11,000 gallon Coastal Boardwalk Pool to watch seemingly ‘smiling’ rays gracefully glide around the 360-degree tank or get up close to the aquatic creatures in the touch pool. “Everyone was trying really hard to pet the stingrays,” junior Anna Morrissey shared. Students also had the opportunity to experience traveling 175 feet undersea when they traverses through the Shark Gallery’s Sea Tube — staying completely dry as sand tiger and nurse sharks swam above them in the 230,000-gallon tank. Leaving the sea life behind, students boarded buses for a trip to the rain forest.
In the Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Glasshouse, students spotted exotic plants, birds and butterflies in the rainforest biome for Costa Rica; they encountered reptiles and amphibians in the spiny desert of Madagascar. As the rest of their classmates were being dismissed for the day back at school, this adventurous group was encouraged to sketch and photograph the plants and creatures they saw. Senior Caitlin Monir shared, “I never thought I would get to hold a butterfly!” Afterwards, they headed to Uptown Commons at Case Western Reserve University for a variety of dinner options and to prepare for the final stop of the day — Playhouse Square.
At Playhouse Square, the group attended a pre-show talk, “Broadway Buzz” before experiencing “The School Of Rock” live onstage. Many students were excited for the show, which is based on the Jack Black film of the same name, that tells the story of wannabe rock star Dewey Finn, who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. When he sees their musical talent, he enlists his fifth-graders to form a rock group and conquer the Battle of the Bands competition. The show was the high point for many students, including sophomore Grace Edwards, who shared, “The theater is gorgeous and the show was so much fun!”
“This year, I mostly chose the places to visit,” Frato-Sweeney explained. Stops were based on the availability to her group when planning begun in mid-November, since the district wouldn’t approve any field trips until the after the levy vote. The school district paid for the bus and driver and for a substitute teacher to cover Frato-Sweeney’s classes for the day. Students paid for tickets and entry fees to the various venues, with fundraising dollars, help from the Art Club, and their own funds. She noted that the Art club has already began brainstorming for next year’s City Day.
