CCISD fine arts students bask in the bright lights of the New York

By  WENDY SLEDD

Special to Leader-Press

NEW YORK, NY —The odds of making a living as an actor are slim. But for a group of more than two dozen CCISD fine arts students, they just got one step closer to their dreams of performing under stage lights.

CCISD Theatre Arts teachers Molli Maberry of Copperas Cove High School and Emily Pastore of S. C. Lee Junior High took a group of 28 fine arts students on a 5-day tour of New York City. The itinerary included two Broadway shows, Les Miserables and Mama Mia, and the New York Film Academy. They also attended a musical theatre workshop with Broadway Star Chris McCarrell who plays the role of Marius in Les Miserables. 

“"This trip was incredible. Watching this group of students, many who have never been on a plane before, experience the wonder that is New York City, a Fine arts Mecca, was the kind of experience that every educator dreams of giving to the young minds they teach,” Pastore said. 

The trip was led by Jr. Tours which specializes in student trips to 30 different cities in the U.S. The CCISD trip was advertised to anyone interested at CCHS at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. Students had the opportunity to sign up for the trip online and were able to fundraise throughout the year with bake sales. The itinerary also included visits to Central Park, 5th Avenue, Soho, The West Village, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the 9/11 Memorial, Grand Central Station, and a tour of Radio City Music Hall. 

CCHS student Deana Craig said she has dreamed ever since she was a small child of making it to New York.

“I remember telling my grandma once, ‘When I grow up, I want to live in New York City.’ Arriving at the JFK airport, I felt nothing but butterflies. Seeing the skyline from a distance made me squirm with excitement and being inside the city left me with a feeling akin to being in love,” Craig said. “I think the best thing I got from New York was not all the t-shirts and figurines, but a sense of direction in my life.

“As an artist, it was an incredible experience to visit the Metropolitan Museum and to see art from all around the globe, of every medium and movement, as well as visiting Central Park and seeing various street performers. Overall, being in New York for five whole days was humbling and exhilarating and I can't wait until I find my way there again someday."

Pastore said a trip is planned again for students to go to the Big Apple again next summer.