Walton Trip
By Allison, Janie
April 29, 2012
On Wednesday morning, April 25, a class of third graders and eighth graders boarded buses for the 2 hour journey to Fayetteville to attend the showing of Zorro. The students were introduced to several new experiences. They were excited from the moment they stepped foot onto the air-conditioned bus with charter bus seats. Most students immediately set up their space with blankets, pillows and electronic devices. They either got the choice to sit with a friend or have a whole seat to themselves.
The first “wow” was when we saw the sign that said, “Welcome to Missouri”. Some students said they had never been out of Kansas. Then we got on I-44 and then Highway 71 with all the big trucks. They loved seeing how fast the trucks and other traffic moved. When we got to the sign that said “Welcome to Arkansas” another cheer went up. Three states in one day! Just like every other trip when we got to the part of Highway 71 where the rocks have been blasted to make way for the new highway, the comments heard were “is this the Grand Canyon?” or “is this part of a desert?” From that point on the comments on the bus were filled with a lot of oohs and ahs as they enjoyed the scenery and high bridges.
When we got into Fayetteville and drove through the college campus streets and saw all the students moving back and forth from class to class, a discussion about what they were doing and why ensued. We got to explain to them about the importance of a college education.
Arriving at the Walton Art Center was another thrilling moment for them. We got there just in time to eat lunch. We were directed to the Rose Garden on the campus of the Walton Art Center. It was a beautiful garden full of lovely flowery fragrances. I overheard one young girl say if she died right then, she would be happy because she was “in the flowers”. She was right. It was a wonderful place to picnic and rest after the long bus trip.
When the students walked into the auditorium, a hush fell over the group. The auditorium is large and beautiful and the students were simply amazed at what they were seeing. The lights went down and the play began. We were introduced to three characters from the group Visible Fictions from Scotland. Each character played several parts. Their energy and acting ability was amazing. The students were in awe of all the different things going on on the stage at one time. It was exciting.
The bus ride home was just as much fun as the bus ride to Fayetteville. All in all, the students had an amazing cultural experience that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our superintendent, school board, and Steven Charles.
