On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, English Department Chair William Martino’s New York Literature class took a trip to New York City as part of their curriculum.
The students were given the opportunity to explore various neighborhoods, including Midtown and the West Village, while also visiting the Museum of Modern Art, where they received a tour connected to the course material they had been learning.
The trip has become an important part of the New York Lit. curriculum, as Mr. Martino had previously taught this class in the city when he worked at Xavier High School and appreciated the opportunity to explore the city with his classes and form closer connections to the material. He also values the ability to demonstrate the multifaceted nature of the city. “My goal is to break the cookie-cutter mold of the New York City tourist experience,” Mr. Martino said.
On the date of the trip, the students arrived at school in the morning, similar to any other school day; however, they were allowed to miss class to spend the day in New York. As they prepared to depart, they boarded a KO toaster van, which Mr. Martino drove to Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, where he parks each year. Head of the Upper School Lisa Loeb accompanied the students as an engaged chaperone and has done so since returning to KO in 2023. Mr. Martino expressed his gratitude for Mrs. Loeb’s continued support with the trip.
Once the group arrived in New York, they were allowed to grab a bite to eat before heading to the museum, where they were greeted by a friendly face: Emma Waldman ’14, who currently works as a guide at MOMA. This experience helped connect the city and its artists to the Gilded Age, which the class had been learning about. They followed Ms. Waldman to view three works of art, each with a unique statement on the era. After this tour, students were given free time to explore the museum on their own and view anything they were interested in.
After leaving the museum, the group ventured to the West Village, a neighborhood featured heavily in New York literature and wildly different from Midtown, where the museum is located. This provided the group an opportunity to hang out and explore after enjoying Joe’s Pizza, a New York tradition. “A highlight for me was getting Joe’s Pizza,” Mr. Martino said. “It was a total operation.”
Mr. Martino hoped the field trip allowed students to feel comfortable around one another and provided a positive experience, with students getting to know both Mrs. Loeb and himself better. “I feel like it’s a real moment for us to connect outside of school,” Mr. Martino said. “I can’t speak for all the students, but my hope is that there is a comfort level where students feel like they can let their guard down a little bit.” He also described how he feels like the excitement-packed bus rides with music and games are a great example of the class coming together.
Finally, Mr. Martino looks forward to more successful field trips in the future. He described how the curriculum for the class changes frequently, and so does the accompanying trip. Looking forward, he would consider taking the class to a Broadway show or on a walking tour, but has no regrets on this past year’s trip. Regardless of what the future holds, KO has confidence that Mr. Martino will continue to make learning about the stories of New York engaging to students, and this field trip is a great example of how he achieves this goal.
