National Honor Society is a respectable organization in which students maintain the four qualities of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. The senior members of the club are rewarded for the efforts throughout high school with the annual NHS trip. On Thursday, March 18, 44 seniors along with four chaperones departed from the high school at 6 A.M. for the windy city. Although the long bus ride of nine hours seemed like a long journey for the group, all were extremely anxious to arrive in Chicago, Illinois later that afternoon.
The students enjoyed several sites while visiting “Chi Town.” Once in Chicago, the first stop was the Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower. Students were able to learn the history of the structure, as well as stand on a glass ledge 103 floors above the ground. Many of them even conquered a fear of heights while standing on the ledge. Other sites visited that day were Navy Pier and the Chicago Art Institute.
The second day of the field trip proved to be the most interesting and the most fun for many of our “tourists.” The first stop the huge charter bus made was to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where brokers participate in the excitement of buying and selling in today’s global economy. The Shedd Aquarium provided a great view of thousands of different aquatic species, and students found the visit both educational and fun. A boat tour along the Chicago River concluded the afternoon for the group. The warm weather made the city skyline a perfect photo opportunity for several friends on the trip. The evening was concluded with pizza and “Blue Man Group,” a wild, comical show where audience members participated as much as the performers.
The students thought Blue Man Group provided more fun in the educational based field trip. “Blue Man Group was my favorite aspect of the National Honor Society trip because it was bizarre enough to be entertaining and forced me to warp my mind in ways I’ve never learned how to in a class before,” said Jess Sillaman.
The final day of the field trip saw freezing temperatures and even snow. The group walked through Grant Park and Millennium Parks, taking pictures and enjoying their last few minutes outdoors. The last stop for that cold Saturday was the Museum of Science and Industry, an enormous building filled with hands-o n, up-close, and life-size displays of all things inventive.
“I really enjoyed the science museum because it had three floors about anything relative to science. An interactive storm section reminded me of earth and space science in ninth grade,” said Savannah Lancianese.
Without the anticipation of the trip, the nine hour drive home seemed longer than the first, but students reminisced their adventures in Chicago through pictures and funny stories. Each member of the National Honor Society proved that hard work does pay off, and all the stress and pressure of high school can be rewarding in the best ways.
