2003 Year in Review

Junior High Art Field Trip

Morrison Junior High students in front of MCA in Chicago.

Original granite street in a downtown Chicago alley.

Tiffany Dome at Chicago Cultural Center

For the second week in a row Morrison Schools sent a busload of students and chaperones to Chicago to be surrounded in art, culture, and history. Junior High art teacher, Ned Nesti, shared his love of the sites, sounds, and experience of Chicago during the Christmas season on Saturday December 13. This time he took his Junior High students.

The day began with a visit to the Lincoln Park Conservatory along Lake Shore Drive to see the poinsettias and other plants of the season. Next on the itinerary was a stop at Chicago’s modern art museum, MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), to see cutting edge artwork.

Nesti always test runs the trip just before he takes the group. They had planned to eat at the same McDonalds he had eaten at just a week before but wreckers were already tearing it down. After visiting a second restaurant, they finally found one that was open for lunch.

After lunch the students were directed to go in small groups through the Art Institute of Chicago. For many of these students and chaperones it was there first time through. Highlights included the paperweight collection and miniature rooms in the lower level.

An alley walk after the Art Institute is a signature on the Nesti tour itinerary. This is part of his history lesson for the day. The original granite bricks streets are exposed in the alley along with other history lessons.

A stunning highlight of the trip is the Chicago Cultural Center that was the original Chicago library. At each end of the building are two domes. Students climbed the marble staircase to visit the Tiffany Dome where the original library circulation desk was set. Students also visited an unusual exhibit of teapots called the “Artful Teapot” in the Center. A retired cigarette machine that sells $5 artwork called an Art-o-Mat was popular with the students.

Before going to Leona’s for pizza the students had time to shop at Marshal Fields on State Street downtown.

While the bus continued to the Christkindlmarket one of the chaperones unfortunately had an allergic reaction at Leona’s. The student, Nesti, and another chaperone had an unscheduled visit to the emergency room. But the bus continued home with the students and the student is fine.

The Christkindlemarket is on the Daley Center Plaza (Washington and Dearborn Streets)and is a Nurenberg style German market where visitors gather to taste Christmas style foods and buy traditional German Christmas gifts.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
December 16, 2003