Half term was spent crossing the pond for some very lucky students and staff. On Monday 12^th February 33 Year 12 & 13 students and staff boarded a coach for Heathrow and a plane destined for JFK Airport, New York.  The day ended on top of the Empire State building, with the students in awe of the New York City nightscape. From there it was possible to see the bright lights of Broadway, uptown and the Freedom Tower, downtown.  Over the next 4 days, the city explorers travelled up and down Manhattan Island, visiting the 9/11 Memorial Museum which was an amazing and sombre experience for the tourists. They also visited The Statue of Liberty and spent a fantastic night on Broadway where they were able to experience, first hand, the amazing quality of acting and singing in Aladdin.  The trip culminated on the final day, with a Planes, Trains and Automobiles day, as the group travelled by subway and bus to visit the USS Inteprid museum - an aircraft carrier moored in the Hudson river which is home to the space shuttle Endeavour, Concorde and more than 20 different types of aircraft. Year 13 Brooke said “It was a great trip. I particularly enjoyed the Empire State Building, Times Square, Planet Hollywood and Top Of The Rock. I wasn’t a great fan of the Chinese restaurant we went to though! Everything else was brilliant”.