Our students may be used to the squash courts, but recently our Newark seniors traded in their racquets and tennis shoes for snow tubes and winter boots.
Over the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our Newark seniors and staff packed their warmest clothes and headed to the Pocono Mountains for a well-deserved – and last – overnight senior class trip.
It is hard to believe our seniors have already started their final semester of high school. Of course, we look forward to this moment – especially as our seniors have started to receive acceptance letters and are now finalizing their post-secondary plans. However, this milestone is also bittersweet, and we will miss seeing our seniors every week. That is why we like to take the time to celebrate and bond with our seniors during their final overnight class trip. These outings are a unique opportunity for our students to build lasting friendships and to foster closer relationships with staff, which they will maintain even when the after-school portion of the program ends.
Our Newark students and staff were excited to try out a few winter sports, some for the very first time. To kick off the weekend, our team headed to Camelback Mountain, where everyone had the chance to enjoy snow tubing. From there, the group grabbed a bite to eat and settled in for the evening.
The next day, students and staff traveled to Big Snow, an indoor winter sports venue located at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey. Everyone opted to try snowboarding over skiing, which resulted in some laughs, although most everyone quickly got the hang of the new sport.
“Our class trip to the Poconos was one of our seniors’ last overnight bonding opportunities. It was bittersweet having them all under one roof, as we will truly miss them once they graduate. I loved seeing the joy on our seniors’ faces as they enjoyed new experiences for the first time – just like they will as they head off to post-secondary programs in the coming months.”
– Ty’Asia Bullock, Academic Coordinator
And just like that, our seniors returned to class and the squash courts. After a great weekend of bonding and fun, we hope all of our seniors feel ready to tackle these final months of high school and finish the year strong. Check out some of the post-secondary institutions our seniors across Harlem and Newark have already been accepted to:
A&M University
Alfred State College
Benedict State University
Bloomfield College
Bowie State University
Central State University
Cheyney University
Claflin University
Clark Atlanta University
College of Saint Elizabeth
County College of Morris
Delaware State University
Dillard University
Drexel University
Edison Job Corps
Essex County College
Fisk University
Fort Valley State University
Grambling State University
Hilbert College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Ithaca College
Johnson C. Smith University
Kean University
Liberty University
Lincoln State University
Manhattanville College
Mohawk Valley Community
College
Morgan State University
Neosho County Community College
New England College
New Jersey City University
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Norfolk State University
NPOWER
Onondaga Community College
Rowan College at Gloucester County
Rutgers University – New Brunswick
Rutgers University – Newark
Saint Peter’s University
South Carolina State University
SUNY Buffalo State College
SUNY Cortland
Talladega College
University of Bridgeport
University of Rochester
University of Virginia
Virginia State University
Virginia Union University
West Virginia State University
William Paterson University
Winston Salem University