Students entwine fiction and Greek history
Students enjoyed a lively tour at the MET with tour guide Kathy. The mix of art and war armor caught all the students attention and had them in awe of the stories told through the intricte designs. Pictures by Adva Fuchs.
by Adva Fuchs, co- editor in chief
Teachers Ms. Fong and Mrs. Bernhardt, as well as the sixth grade, attended a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) to see the Greek culture exhibition.
On Monday November 17th and Friday November 20th, after reading the book Percy Jackson: the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan in their English class, the students went off to learn about the history behind what they read.
“It’s all about taking it beyond the text and seeing the actual artwork and stories to help gain a greater appreciation of Greek culture and history,” Mrs. Bernhardt said.
While exploring the museum with tour guides, students experienced all the different mediums Greek artists used to express Greek culture and history. Statues of Greek athletes, copper armor, and wall paintings inspired a plethora of questions among the student. The most common reaction was a wave of laughter at the proud looking greek statues, most of which were known as “Men in the Nude”.
“I liked the sculptures and how they were designed. They looked very ancient,” middle schooler George Voyias said.
Students seemed to fully understand the relationship between Riordan’s the Lightning Thief and the stories represented in the art at the exhibit. Overall the trip was a huge success as the students were able to connect their learning to real life.
“It [taking students on trips] is absolutely important. Any time you can apply classroom events into the real world it reinforces everything [and] it should be done as often as possible,” museum tour guide Kathy said.