Nov 12, 2010 By: yunews
S. Daniel Abraham Honors Students Visit World Trade Center Site
Two architectural historians from the Municipal Arts Society recently led students in on a walking tour of the World Trade Center area. As one of the program鈥檚 many extracurricular offerings, the pedestrian tour of lower Manhattan was designed to engage the honors students with the fascinating history and architectural diversity of New York City.
鈥淥ne important aim of the honors program is to take advantage of the outstanding cultural institutions located in New York City and to acquaint students with the history of the city itself,鈥 explained Dr. Cynthia Wachtell, the program鈥檚 director.
The tour led students through some of the oldest sites in lower Manhattan and areas that have gained new historical significance after September 11, juxtaposing New York鈥檚 rich cultural history with the aftermath of national tragedy. Winding around City Hall and Battery Park, the tour culminated with a birds-eye view of the World Trade Center site from the World Financial Center, where students watched as cranes and machines laid the groundwork for the new complex.
鈥淏ecause of its destruction, the World Trade Center has become an intrinsic part of the American fabric,鈥 explained tour guide Justin Ferate. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a galvanizing point. But beyond that, we鈥檙e uncertain: What happens next? Where do we go from here? These questions will color the students鈥 lives.鈥
For Alexa Rosenberg, a student from Overland Park, Kansas, the tour presented an opportunity to connect to a moment of national history for the first time. 鈥淚t was one of the defining events of our generation, certainly one of the first historical events I can remember,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 wanted to be here to see it and explore it.鈥
The honors program offers a range of extracurricular activities for students each semester, including leadership sessions, speakers, and cultural excursions throughout New York City. In addition to the walking tour, this fall, students will attend a production of 鈥淭he Merchant of Venice,鈥 featuring Al Pacino; hear Maddy deLone, the executive director of the Innocence Project at , talk about her work using DNA evidence to exonerate wrongfully-convicted inmates; and enjoy a rare performance at Lincoln Center of Felix Mendelssohn's 鈥淓lijah.鈥
鈥淥ne important aim of the honors program is to take advantage of the outstanding cultural institutions located in New York City and to acquaint students with the history of the city itself,鈥 explained Dr. Cynthia Wachtell, the program鈥檚 director.
The tour led students through some of the oldest sites in lower Manhattan and areas that have gained new historical significance after September 11, juxtaposing New York鈥檚 rich cultural history with the aftermath of national tragedy. Winding around City Hall and Battery Park, the tour culminated with a birds-eye view of the World Trade Center site from the World Financial Center, where students watched as cranes and machines laid the groundwork for the new complex.
鈥淏ecause of its destruction, the World Trade Center has become an intrinsic part of the American fabric,鈥 explained tour guide Justin Ferate. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a galvanizing point. But beyond that, we鈥檙e uncertain: What happens next? Where do we go from here? These questions will color the students鈥 lives.鈥
For Alexa Rosenberg, a student from Overland Park, Kansas, the tour presented an opportunity to connect to a moment of national history for the first time. 鈥淚t was one of the defining events of our generation, certainly one of the first historical events I can remember,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 wanted to be here to see it and explore it.鈥
The honors program offers a range of extracurricular activities for students each semester, including leadership sessions, speakers, and cultural excursions throughout New York City. In addition to the walking tour, this fall, students will attend a production of 鈥淭he Merchant of Venice,鈥 featuring Al Pacino; hear Maddy deLone, the executive director of the Innocence Project at , talk about her work using DNA evidence to exonerate wrongfully-convicted inmates; and enjoy a rare performance at Lincoln Center of Felix Mendelssohn's 鈥淓lijah.鈥
