Just recently, the Honor Roll students of NAHS were given the opportunity to visit the Franklin Institute of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA to see a new exhibit on Vikings. On a cold snowy morning, the students and chaperones took a 2 hour bus ride to get to the museum before dispersing inside. The museum was beautiful, high ceilings and marble staircases, complete with a large statue of Benjamin Franklin himself. The students were broken up into small groups with their chaperones and everyone entered the Viking exhibit together.

The exhibit was amazing; not only educational but also very enjoyable. From beautiful Viking rope jewelry to thousand-year-old Viking swords and knives, the exhibit displayed many items found in areas where the Vikings lived. Students were able to see models of Viking ships as well as try on clothes replicated from those that the ancient Norse people wore. There was even a simulator that spelled words in Viking runes! The displays showed how Vikings lived, fought, ate, and hunted, and many of the museum’s items could very well have been used by the ancient people.

Many myths about the vikings were also disputed, including a famous one- the Vikings never wore helmets clad with horns, simply chainmail and other kinds of armored helmets that did not include the famous horns. It was definitely an educational experience for all. After the initial exhibit, everyone went to the food court for lunch and enjoyed hamburgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, and of course, the famous Philly cheese steaks.

Last on the agenda was an IMAX movie that described the lives of two famous Vikings- Erik the Red and his son, Leif Erikson, who became the first European to find the North American continent. Both Erik and Leif discovered the vast new island nations of Iceland and Greenland, two beautiful countries far north of Norway and Sweden. After the movie, everyone gathered under the statue of Benjamin Franklin before the bus arrived to bring everyone home.

What feedback did the students have?

“The trip was great! It was a fun experience getting to travel through exhibits with the teachers, and the museums provided a combination of beauty and history that mixed perfectly,” remarked Brian Kataro.

“The trip was very educational and entertaining. I learned a lot about Viking history,” added Lila Boudissa.

When asked about the best part of the trip, Nicole Duffett answered, “My favorite experience was looking at the clothes for the Vikings! They were so pretty!”

Finally, Israel Alcantara told about his experience, “From what I learned in the field trip, the Vikings were a very powerful group. Along with that, they were also very diverse when it came to religion. The trip was very exciting and eventful.”

We would like to give a big thank you to Mr. Blackford for organizing this wonderful trip, as well as the chaperones and our school administration for making this experience happen for us! It always feels good to be recognized for one’s accomplishments, and we would love to see more trips like this happen in the future!