ACS students, including several who are part of the international student program, enjoyed a tour of New York City during spring break, their first outing since the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020. The April 9 trip was organized and led by ACS staff members Mrs. Jessica Martin and Mrs. Patti Scardilli,

The trip was an opportunity to introduce these students to a major city with lots of significance in American history and pop culture,” said Mrs. Martin, the ACS Director of Admissions and International Student Programs. “They had a wonderful time exploring the city, enjoying some delicious Korean BBQ in Koreatown, and getting to know each other better.”

Before crossing into New York City, the students visited Liberty State Park in New Jersey and saw the “Empty Sky” Memorial which honors the memory of New Jersey residents who died on 9/11. The empty sky is the view from New Jersey to New York City with the Twin Towers now gone.

The group took a ferry from Liberty Park to New York City, and along the way enjoyed a more close-up view of the Statue of Liberty. Gabriel Catusse-Martinella, one of the international students who is from France, shared the story with the group about France giving the United States the Statue of Liberty as a gift.

The first stop in New York City was to visit the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero and take a group photo at the Survivor Tree, which was in the wreckage but is still alive and flourishing. “All of the students were babies when the attack happened so we talked about the impact of that day, along with the self-sacrifice of the passengers of Flight 93,” Martin said.

The group also visited Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and 5th Avenue to see the sights and go shopping at the M&M store, Krispy Kreme, Adidas, Sephora and more. Dinner at a Korean BBQ dinner in the Koreatown section of New York City was one of the highlights of the trip, Martin said.