Grade V Visits Midtown

Many New Yorkers take their city’s landmarks for granted, but recently our fifth grade boys explored a few renowned institutions in midtown Manhattan.  After emerging from the subway at Grand Central Station, Mr. Demeny, Mr. Brady, Mr. Clavel, the boys, and a number of parent chaperones walked eastward toward the United Nations.  Before we arrived at the multi-building complex, we took a detour into the lobby of The Daily News building.  The boys were fascinated by the large rotating globe in the middle of the room.  (Though many remarked that because of the rapidly changing world landscape, the globe was in need of an update.)

Next stop--the headquarters of the United Nations, an organization devoted to international cooperation.  Before our tour commenced, the boys were engrossed in a special exhibit devoted to the devastation caused by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki seventy years ago.  During the tour the boys learned that they were now standing on international land that currently counts 193 countries as members.  We visited the Security Council chambers as well as the general assembly room while a meeting was in progress.  The tour was designed to explain the mission undertaken by the U.N.:  to maintain international peace and security, to protect human rights, to uphold international law, and to deliver humanitarian aid.  We were in a place where many policies are debated and implemented for much of the world.  One boy was even heard exclaiming, “Mr. Demeny, this is so cool!”

After a hearty lunch, the boys trekked westward to the main branch of the New York Public Library for another tour of an iconic New York City building.  The group was especially captivated with the map room, the works of art hanging on the walls, and an original version of The Declaration of Independence.  Unfortunately the Rose Main Reading Room was closed for construction, but the William Meyers:  Outer Boroughs photography exhibit was an unexpected treat.

Our gratitude to the fifth grade teachers, the parent chaperones, and The Halberg Family Fund for making this trip possible.