On April 21, the ninth-grade advanced English classes went to the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
The two classes were Ms. Salce’s fifth and Mrs. Javidan’s fourth periods. This was not just a field trip, it was an opportunity for students to learn more about theatre arts, literature, nature, and most importantly, Shakespeare!
Ms. Salce learned about this field trip because Mrs. Brownstein forwarded an email to her and let her know about this event dedicated to Poetry Month (April) at the Huntington. Mrs. Brownstein had taken her students there before, and she thought of Ms. Salce and Mrs. Javidan when she heard about the opportunity.
Ms. Salce says, ” I’m grateful that our teachers at Hoover are always thinking about how to support one another and our students! ”
The day started like this: students came to school, got picked up by the two school buses, and headed to the place. When the two classes arrived, students were placed in a waiting room. The tour guides guided them into the theatre and students were seated with whomever they liked. Their day was then followed by a performance of Shakespeare’s play called “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Students then had the opportunity to talk to the actors of the play. After that came lunchtime!
Next, the two classes were divided into groups and had a walk-through Renaissance-style dance, clothes, vocals, and acting. The actors of the play were the ones who did these activities with the students!
Afterwards, students had about an hour to walk around the gardens, visit cafes or museums. Some students preferred spending their time in the different museums, some in gardens, and others were trying to cool off from the heat in the cafes.
Lastly, students met up with their teachers, took class pictures, and headed back to school!
Adelina Herapetian (’28) says about the field trip: “The field trip was very fun, but was also very educational, as I learned a lot of things that I would not have learned if I had not gone on this field trip. I think it was such an amazing privilege to attend this field trip.”
This is Nairi Hakopyan’s (’28) thoughts on the field trip:
“The trip was a good blend of educational and entertaining. It seemed like the perfect place to start, as an actor or writer, which I think is so cool.”
Julianna Salce, English teacher at Hoover, says, “The experience took a lot of planning, but the outcome was worth what it took to make it happen.” Ms. Salce thought the opportunity to get off campus and appreciate a well-curated place, and Shakespeare was great. “I had not had the opportunity to see the students off-campus and how they put themselves out there. I enjoyed the workshops, and my favorite exhibition was the rose garden because it smelled so amazing!”
Homa Javidan, an English teacher at Hoover, says, “I think my students learned more about Shakespeare. I found it interesting that people at that time were not allowed to read or write well, but Shakespeare somehow had such profound literature.”
When asked about her favorite exhibition, Mrs. Javidan said, “The flowers all around and the gardening were my favorite exhibitions.” “She says she would love to go there on her own and take her students there again if the opportunity shows up. She also liked that the actors who were in the play were the ones who taught the students different skills and impressions of popular characters at the workshops.”
Overall, people were happy with this field trip, and everyone was appreciative of this opportunity!
