Art Club Travels to Kansas City
With a few challenges along the way . . .
Tonja Partridge
March 12, 2012
Art Club field trips are always exciting. The students work hard all year to earn the the money used to travel to enjoy fine art. Anticipating and planning for the excursion is part of the fun; this trip turned into more of an adventure than usual. Saturday, March 10, 2012, 32 students, four chaperones and one fine bus driver headed out to Kansas City to visit two museums. Less than 45 minutes into our trip we met a semi coming at us at a high rate of speed, somewhat over the center line. Due to the level-headed driving skills of Jeff Harlan, we missed colliding with the truck, but the front door of the bus was nearly ripped off. As soon as he was able, Mr. Harlan pulled over to check out the door problem. Without any tools it appeared that we were stuck with a door hanging open. Fortunately, student Ethan G. always carries duct tape, with which the door was temporarily repaired. We limped into Princeton, parked at a car wash and waited for a replacement bus to arrive (thanks to Jim Trimble).
During the wait for our new bus the students took turns in groups going up to the local Casey's to use the facilities; I benefited from the walk on those four trips up the hill. We were all thankful for the beautiful weather. A coloring contest with prizes helped pass the time as did cupcakes passed out to celebrate Logan D's birthday. I couldn't be more proud of how the Art Club students handled our small crisis.
When the new bus arrived we changed our agenda to include one less stop and headed out to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Everyone enjoyed the exhibits ranging from modern to ancient Egyptian. The outdoor sculpture garden was especially pleasant on a sunny day in the 70s. Many of the students commented that enjoyed the museum building itself and only wished there was more time to spend looking at the art. Afterwards we had a pizza lunch at Strykerz Arcade and the students used their $10 arcade cards. Everywhere we went the kids received compliments on their respectful, mature behavior.
Thank you to Mr. Harlan for his excellent driving, Mr. Trimble for the providing a replacement bus, chaperones Mrs. Dooley, Mrs. Monica Casady and Mrs. McDonald. Most of all, thank you to the Art Club students for their excellent behavior which made the trip a real pleasure for everyone.
