Twelve Upper School students enjoyed a whirlwind trip to London during spring break, visiting the famous city and exploring its history and culture. The trip, led by Jessica Bonnem, Upper School English teacher, and Kayla Marsh, Whitefield drama teacher, had a literature and theater focus. The first two days of the trip were spent in Stratford-on-Avon, where students saw Shakespeare’s birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s cottage, and the church where Shakespeare was buried.
“It was a great follow-up to our in-depth focus on Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream as the fall play,” said Bonnem.
In London, students enjoyed a theater workshop at the Globe Theater with a Royal Shakespeare Company actor and saw three performances in the West End, including Phantom of the Opera, The Play That Went Wrong, and The 39 Steps. They also toured the National Theater to get a behind-the-scenes look at the theater’s sets, costumes, props, and entire creative process.
“Many of my drama students were on this trip, so it was fun to hear them joyfully quoting Shakespeare as we wandered the streets of Stratford, and hear them articulating their thoughts on the different productions we saw in London's West End. There were so many special moments for me as a teacher,” said Marsh.
In addition to seeing theater productions, students visited Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Covent Garden, the Tower of London, Stonehenge, and the Salisbury Cathedral, a beautiful cathedral that also houses the Magna Carta. The group also explored the British National Library, which is home to the only existing copy of Beowulf, original copies of Jane Austen’s novels in her own handwriting, and a Guttenberg Bible.
A typical day was seeing a historical or literary site in the morning, wandering the street markets during
the lunch hour, then visiting a couple of more sites or attending an educational workshop in the afternoon The students also had plenty of time to wander around iconic spots like Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.
“It was also fun learning different things about each student based on which of our sightseeing adventures they liked and what most interested them,” said Marsh. “Some were drawn to architecture within cathedrals, some were completely fascinated with the Magna Carta, and others were inspired by the Tate Museum of Modern Art. “
“We were lucky to have a group of funny, kind, respectful, and curious students,” added Bonnem.
“They made the trip perfect.”
Spring Break attendees: Natalie Bell (10th), William Bell (12th), Jessica Burnett (10th), Ruthie Evans (9th), Charlene Gachoya (11th), Sadie Harmon (9th), Austin Hoover (12th), Evan Johnson (11th), Peter Keith (12th), Brynn Thomas (10th), Bradley Washington (10th), and Caroline Wyatt (11th).