Leventhorpe’s first 6th Form excursion to New York was an enormous amount of fun for the group of students who made the trip across the Atlantic. Students enjoyed a jam-packed few days in the Big Apple and were a credit to the school in the way they approached every moment, activity and the overall unpredictability of international travel.

Students had a fantastic time seeing the sights of New York: Times Square, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building (those that were not put off by it being struck by lightning on our first attempted ascent) to name but a few. 
To put it lightly, the weather was abysmal upon our arrival, so in that sense, we were also very lucky to experience what some New Yorker’s were calling a, “once in a lifetime” downpour. However, this did not dampen anyone’s spirits, and high on the bright lights of the big city and, despite their carefully curated “NY” outfits, many students embraced the poncho as a practical, yet stylish garment, some before, and some after, the incredible gale force winds and sideways rain experienced on Ellis Island whilst attempting to take in the history and majesty of the Statue of Liberty.

The students also experienced a walking tour of the financial district, learning something about the history of trade in New York and were lucky enough to see the New York Knicks perform an incredible comeback against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden. This was a lot of fun and I’d highly recommend going to a basketball fixture if you are ever in America. They know how to eke every last drop of entertainment out of it!

Leventhorpe students also threw themselves into an acting/improvisation class with admirable spirit, which was lead by a former lead actress in Wicked - the Wicked Witch of the West, no less! This was especially resilient as they were expecting a marketing workshop, which sounds very similar to “acting” when heard over the phone!  Improvisation at its finest from some of our talented cohort!

They also experienced the Natural History Museum, some of our Art students took a detour to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMO) and after storms, floods, a whirlwind few days, and a literal earthquake (another once-in-a-lifetime natural event - the Geographers certainly got their money’s worth here!) ... we all made it home in one piece with our cultural capital well and truly enhanced.

Hopefully, we’ll see some of our current Year 10s and 11s on the same trip in 2026!  Thank you to all those who came for being such a delight to travel with.