In May 2025, D-E’s Upper School (US) History Department faculty facilitated end-of-year field trips for ninth graders to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Met Cloisters, and the New York Public Library (NYPL). “The goal of our trip to the Met was to compare similar kinds of art—pottery, sculpture, geometric designs, and 2D depictions of people and/or animals—across at least two of the different cultures we’ve studied,” explained History Teacher Ben Fleisher. “For most of our study of ancient cultures, we rely on technology to mediate it, but this trip gave us an opportunity to see objects directly from the cultures we study up close and compare them.”
Of the Met trip he attended, Adam Nardini ’28 said, “I was able to experience firsthand the ways societies we learned about [practiced] their religions.” He highlighted the Egyptian temple and added that the sculptures, glasswork, and metalwork he observed “helped deepen my understanding of the [curriculum] units.”
“It’s really important to understand the role art and other objects have in understanding history, especially the culture of the times, regions, and beliefs we are studying,” noted US History Teacher Jennifer Seligman, who chaperoned the Cloisters trip in Upper Manhattan, with its focus on the Middle Ages.
Nate Russell ’28, who attended the Cloisters trip, reflected on the “pure awe” he felt as he walked into the museum: “All the artifacts and items showed little snapshots of [the Middle Ages] and the conflicts therein.” Nate added that he was especially impressed by the beauty of the “The Unicorn Tapestries,” which are among the Cloisters’ signature collections.
Classmate Asia Newman ’28 said she gravitated toward the pieces of art made of natural minerals, such as the golden Arm Reliquary from the 13th century, and described the gardens on the grounds as “peaceful and refreshing.” She was also intrigued by the Hebrew Bible, elaborately decorated by Jews in medieval Spain, which she said, “showed how much people valued the language.”
Dr. Brian Merry, Class of 2025 Dean, chaperoned the trip to the NYPL and said his group had a tour of the building and learned about the history of the institution. “We toured the ‘Treasures’ collection, viewing many artifacts relevant to the topics we covered in class, such as cuneiform tablets,” he said. “Students were then introduced to the Picture Collection, and then conducted research on, took photos of, and cited pictures in the collection that they will include in the bibliographies of their research papers.”
“The field trip was really interesting!” exclaimed Katelina Seeger ’28, who visited the NYPL. “Something especially memorable was seeing the amazing artwork the library had on their walls, ceilings, and even the pieces of history displayed in their museum.”
Overall, said Mr. Fleisher, “I hope that the students see that the cultures of the world are distinct from one another but have a commonality that is uniquely human.”
