In preparation for their study unit on immigration, high school students in level four and five foreign language classes, as well as English as a New Language learners, took a field trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

To begin the day, more than 50 Elwood students boarded the ferry at Battery Park and traveled to Liberty Island, where they enjoyed a picnic lunch and a view of the city skyline and Freedom Tower. At Ellis Island, the students explored the historic building and observed many artifacts dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries.

While visiting the Ellis Island museum, students followed in the same footsteps that many of their ancestors had taken through the immigration process. As a highlight of the day, they admired the American Immigrant Wall of Honor, commemorating American immigrants, and participated in a scavenger hunt in French, Spanish or Italian based on the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and their exhibits.

“The purpose of this trip was to give students a firsthand experience with immigration in the United States, since it is a unit studied in each foreign language class and a topic covered on the AP exam,” said Spanish teacher Nicole Gendjoian.