Being fueled by excitement, the students woke bright and early. Today was the day we got to see One Republic in concert! At four a.m. the lobby was flushed in a sea of bright teal t-shirts accompanied by a few yawns but a lot of smiles! The students munched on two dozens of assorted Dunkin Donuts and listened to a few One Republic songs; they were ready to head to the Today Show!
Waking at the crack of dawn seemed to hit the students (and counselors) while traveling to Rockefeller- a few naps were taken- but after exiting the subway station everyone was filled with energy. Cameras in hand,the students walked through the beautiful Rockefeller Center and headed to stand in line. The students then created a poster with markers that read, ” We love you” on one side and “Shining Future,One Republic” on the other.
The students were greeted by a Today Show employee and rewarded with the “furthest traveled award” when mentioning that they were from China. They caught a variety of goodies- from foam microphones to tshirts- being tossed to the crowd. A few selfies and videos later, the concert was off to a start. Helen and Penny rode Lizzy and Lauren’s shoulders in hopes of getting the perfect picture of the stage. We sang and danced along to the four songs then headed back to the dorms for much need naps and food.
Although it felt like a full day already, we headed to New York University for our last day of classes. The first class of the day was on the founding of America and was taught by Lizzie. The students learned about Christopher Columbus and his voyage to ‘India” which lead to the discover of America and Native Americans.
Lauren facilitated a class on 1920s American culture.The students used their listening skills and filled in the blanks of lyrics of popular songs “Chasing Stars” by the band we saw this morning, One Republic and “Royals” by Lorde. Through the use of videos and pictures students gained insight into the Roaring Twenties and the Harlem Renaissance. The presentation was ended with a fusion of modern songs set to the tunes of 1920s jazz and charleston.
The last class of the day was given by Christian. He elaborated on one of his previous lessons on American holidays with more pictures and a clip of his favorite Christmas movie, Elf. After holidays, he focused on American Music. As he explained the many different styles and genres of music, Christian played a short clip of one of his favorite songs in each genre and the students said if they enjoyed that type of music. The students came to a unanimous decision of liking rap and country but disliked pop.As a fun way to end the last class, the students played an exciting game of musical chairs.
Succeeding the game was the certificate ceremony. Each counselor approached the podium and said a few touching remarks on each student in our group and rewarded them with a certificate of completion accompanied with smiles, hugs, and pictures. We then packed up and strated our journey back to Pace.
The night was spent with the packing of suitcases, laundry, hugs, and the last minute buying of souvenirs. After all said was done, the students headed to bed and rested for tomorrow’s departure.
~July 25,2014 (Lauren Fleming)