It is hard to believe it’s already time to go home… but at the same time, it feels like we’ve been living in New York for longer than just four days. I really can’t imagine how any of our groups could have packed more incredible experiences into this trip. This morning, we hit the Breakfast Nook one last time before packing up the busses to head into Astoria, Queens, to visit the Museum of the Moving Image. 
Outside the museum, we held one final session of the 2019 Humanities Poetry SLAM (SLAm, Slam, slam), featuring a healthy balance of inside jokes, personal connections, and emotional reflections. While listening to the students and chaperones share their poetic offerings, we adults were struck by an idea: we should pull all of this year’s poems together into a printed compilation later in the year. Stay tuned for updates; meanwhile, here is my own humble contribution, inspired by observations of and discussions with your remarkable children. This truly has been a trip to remember, and we huddled up to remember it together one more time before heading in to learn about the history of film and beyond.
After exploring stop-motion animation, creating our own flip-books, experiencing the magic of old-school, stand-up arcade gaming, and viewing actual maquettes used in The Dark Crystal, we climbed back on our busses and headed for home. 
It was a blessedly uneventful trip home, with huge props owed to our drivers, J.T. and Monica, who became an integral part of our 2019 NYC experience throughout the week, and especially on our smooth return trip. Parents reunited with their children, teachers bid fond farewells (until Monday), and everyone was relieved and a little sad to see the adventure come to a close. As Mr. Young and I shared with the group outside the museum today, it is important to take all of the things we learned, experienced, and practiced together — patience, awareness, creativity, problem-solving, flexibility, support, and the ability to be present in the moment, just to name a few — back with us into our “normal” lives. 
Monday will definitely bring us back to life, back to reality… but our reality will never be the same. We have all been changed by this chance to get to know each other, this city, and ourselves, a whole lot better.
Thanks for the memories!
Mr. Orders,
Thank YOU for another successful trip to NYC, Abbie enjoyed it immensely. We thank you and EVERYONE ELSE that made it possible, and worked so hard to give our kids an experience they will never forget.
Thanks,
Geoff Hoy