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4High
School News
 Teacher's
good luck turns into English field trip
Last spring, high school English teacher Deidre
Palmer joined two other English teachers at a continuing
education seminar at the NY State Theater Institute (NYSTI) at
Russell Sage College. Ms. Palmer expected to gain new insights
and techniques to make her a better teacher—but she received a
bonus.
During a special drawing, she won tickets for
her entire class to attend a future NYSTI performance!
Ms. Palmer and Mrs. Matarese, who co-teach 10th
grade English, took their class to see the musical The Orphan
Train on April 22. As a further bonus, Student Government
donated the cost of the bus, so there was no charge to the
students or to the district.
Orphan Train is based on a true story.
Overwhelmed by the plight of orphaned, abandoned, or homeless
children in New York City, young Reverend Charles Loring Brace
embarked on a crusade to save them from the pestilence and crime
that riddled the city. He founded the Children's Aid Society to
gather these waifs and to send them to Midwestern families who
were interested in adopting. Children were placed on trains to
their new homes—trains that became known as Orphan Trains. From
1854-1929, an estimated 200,000 homeless children were relocated
to the west.
The play tells the story of several of these
children. Some went to loving, caring homes and parents. Others
were sent to lives of abuse, hardship and even death.
T he
F-F students went to the show with some background knowledge of
the history of the Orphan Train. The play added a personal
dimension to the story. Back in the classroom, students wrote a
short research paper on different aspects of the Orphan Train
movement.
Although some students were reticent about going
on this trip, they all agreed it was a positive experience. The
play snatched history from the pages of books and the Internet
brought in to life onstage.
"This was my favorite field trip ever!" said
Brittany Bailey.
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