It’s no shocker that most students everywhere love to embark on the adventurous journey that is the field trip. However, in New Providence, some students have been facing what they call “favoritism” and are experiencing severe jealousy.
The Saltbox Museum has been a staple of our town’s fame since the mid 19th century. It is clear that the building is actually two different structures joined together. Each side has different style windows, levels, and doors. The museum shows what life was like hundreds of years ago, featuring a wool spool and a bed made of rope. The beginning of the saying, “Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.” For over 22 years, third grade students at Allen W. Roberts elementary school made the journey over to the museum as a mid-spring field trip.
We spoke to one anonymous 8th grader who made that trip 5 years ago. “It was an interesting trip,” began the anonymous schooler. “It lasted about thirty minutes in all, but you know, it was fine. I remember singing a rendition of ‘99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall’ named ‘999 Bottles of Juice on the Wall.’ We sang it so loud that some people cried.”
Based on a town-wide survey, about 32% of teenagers went to the Saltbox museum in 3rd grade. The majority of children went somewhere else. “Yes, the Saltbox museum is a beautiful example of history,” said the principal of Allen W. Roberts Elementary. “But when we got the opportunity to go to Ellis Island instead, it was a no-brainer.” She went on to describe how Ellis Island covered the marvelous history of our country in a way that was much better than the Saltbox museum could.
The opportunity for young students to be exposed to where their ancestors went in order to arrive in the Americas is unlike anything else. Some students even remarked how when their family arrived there, their last names were changed.
The schoolers who went to the Saltbox museum became angry at the sound of this news. “Ellis island?!” shouted another anonymous 8th grader when he heard about this. “They got to go to Ellis Island?! Clearly they like them better than us. This is favoritism!” However, this trip did not last long. Only two years after this started, it was officially changed. I spoke to the principal again to interview them on how this decision came to be. “One day, someone sheepishly suggested this trip at a parent meeting. Immediately, we were all caught off guard. As for me, my face lit up. What better way to learn about Revolutionary War history than to visit the home of the people who helped us the most?” According to the staff at AWR, visiting Paris, France for a week can connect the students to the home of the French, the people who aided us heavily in the Revolutionary War and ultimately helped us win the war. When we told the anonymous 8th graders about this, one of them collapsed. The other became infuriated and started going off about it to anyone who would listen. “Oh, ok, I get it! They must’ve really hated us, didn’t they? We drove 4 minutes into the center of town to a 20 square foot building, and now they get to see the Eiffel tower? They get to visit the Louvre? To eat fresh croissants and pastries at Paris bakeries? What is this?” The mayor of the town had no comment on the topic.
