For 10 months a year, students spend their days in school learning new material in a variety of subjects.  However, in the past many grades would take a break from time to time to go on school field trips with their classmates and teachers.  At Roosevelt, those trips would sometimes include going to the Bronx Zoo, the Liberty Science Center, and for 8th graders, even a trip to New York City.

     Unfortunately though, in recent years it seems like whole-class field trips have become a thing of the past.  This is very disappointing to most students who think back to trips taken during elementary school and reminisce on all the good times they had.    

     We spoke with two of our guidance counselors, Mrs. Borgo and Mrs. Drechsel, to see if they had answers as to why field trips are not scheduled anymore. They explained that “A lot changed once COVID hit, and many of the places that we used to go to in the past closed down.”

     Another issue that has impacted the amount of field trips taken during the year is the cost.  Bus transportation has become very expensive and at times hard to organize. When the price for the venue is included with the transportation costs, sometimes the trip is not worth the price of doing it.

     With that being said, we also discussed the situation with Mr. Gechtman and asked him if he wanted to bring back field trips. He said, “Yes, as long as they are curriculum-based and can tie into what the class and grade level is learning about, absolutely…In fact,  the 6th grade has recently been board-approved to go to the New Brunswick Theater for a performance that not only ties into their curriculum but also focuses on the importance of inclusion and being kind to each other.”

     Despite the potential challenges, many teachers and students agree that field trips are enjoyable for everyone, and hopefully, Roosevelt can start planning more and more of them in the future.