Turtle Hook Middle School "Adopted" as Part of MOYA
By: Randi Van Cott, 7th grade science
Nina Saveth, 7th grade English
The Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) is a supporter of Month of the Young Adolescent. At their annual conference in Memphis in 2005, SYTA members were encouraged to "adopt a middle school" for a day and provide a day trip for a group of students who normally would not be able to afford it. The president of SYTA, Judd Gerber of Gerber Tours, Inc. took the challenge. He and his company "adopted" Turtle Hook Middle School for a day. Turtle Hook Middle School is located in Uniondale, NY, and is 97% minority with 41% of the students qualifying for free or reduced price lunches. Here is an account of the day …
Gerber Tours, Inc. sponsored an exciting, event-filled day trip to New York City on November 1, 2005 for 50 students from Turtle Hook Middle School, Uniondale, New York. The trip provided an incentive for seventh grade students to strive for success in school. They were required to complete their homework assignments for their core subjects and to wear the school uniform for five consecutive days. Many of the students had never been to New York City, so when they heard about the itinerary of activities, they became very excited and competed to be part of the group. During the week of competition, the teachers and administration observed a dramatic increase in completed homework and uniform participation.
On the morning of November 1, 2005, the students and 5 chaperones were driven to New York City on a coach bus provided by One If By Land. Some of the students had never been to Manhattan, even though they live only 35 miles away. Other students had never been on such a luxurious bus before. When the group arrived at the Museum of Natural History, they were greeted outside by the staff and they toured the museum with VIP treatment. The first stop was the awe-inspiring planetarium where students gazed into far away galaxies and learned about our grand universe. Students were telling their teachers that this was the greatest day they had ever had—and this was just the beginning.
After taking a tour of the Museum of Natural History, the group was brought to Times Square where a group photo was taken right in the middle of the dazzling lights and hustle and bustle of city life. The next stop was lunch at Planet Hollywood. The children were amazed by the memorabilia and the way they were treated by the staff. The staff was so impressed with the behavior and anecdotes from the children that they created a gift bag for each of them. Each girl was given a stuffed teddy bear and each boy was given a pair of gloves and key chain. The students were overwhelmed with excitement.
A tour of the Top of the Rock exhibit at Rockefeller Center was on the agenda– Uniondale's lucky students were the first school group to tour this brand new feature. It was opening day for this exhibit and there was much excitement. Taking the elevator up 80 stories was compared to a trip to Disneyland! When they looked across the city from atop Rockefeller Center, they were amazed by the sites.
After the long day, the children boarded the buses to return to Long Island where they were given one last surprise: a copy of the 8 x 10 photo taken in Times Square. The students said they felt like VIPs and couldn't wait to get home to tell their family and friends. For most, this experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but what was most moving were the sentiments and gratitude these young 11- and 12-year-olds expressed. They knew they had worked diligently to achieve a goal–a lesson learned never too soon.