Pop Culture Classes Visit Woodstock
Sarah Martin, Staff Writer
On Thursday April 12th, the Pop Culture classes headed to Bethel Woods to learn about the
antics that were Woodstock. Students met in the lobby at 8:00 am and departed for the hour-long
bus ride to Bethel. Once the group arrived around 9am, the bus drove the students down to the original site of the 1969 Woodstock festival to admire the monument and lawn where half a million people gathered for music, fun and demonstrations of peace. After the segment of the trip at the field, which was very brief, the bus took students up to the Bethel Woodstock museum. In the museum, the group was broken into two smaller teams, and each was given a tour guide. From there, one half of students went into the museum and the other half learned about and explored the event hall. Groups then switched so all students had the opportunity to experience both smaller tours.
During the museum tour, a portion of the students saw pictures, outfits, and gained a significant amount of information about the 60's and Woodstock itself. A standout part of the tour was the bus replica of what many people journeyed to Woodstock in. It featured vibrant colors and groovy patterns and projected a video in the windshield. The walls of the museum were littered with quotes from original Woodstock attendees and facts about influential people, events, and music of the 1960's.
After touring the museum and event hall, both classes met in the theater to watch a 21-minute video mainly about performances at Woodstock such as Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. Students were then escorted to the Peter Max museum inside the Bethel museum where they got to observe the art of the 60's. Max's art was colorful, bright, and strongly displayed a "hippy-dippy" vibe.
The trip to Woodstock was preceded by weeks of learning about the 1960's, and everything
from the politics to the fashion of the era. Students had very useful knowledge of Woodstock
prior to the trip, but the trip truly brought the facts to life. Seeing faces of people who "lived the
festival" lining the wall made it all seem more personal, and really brought to life the event. Seeing the performances on the big screen made students feel as though they were sitting on the lawn of the actual concert. Going to Bethel and seeing exactly where 500,000 people spent three days celebrating harmony and music was extremely cool and unreal. The trip was a great experience for all involved.
The Pop Culture classes are half-year electives currently taught by Mr. LaPolt and Mr. LaPolla.
On Thursday April 12th, the Pop Culture classes headed to Bethel Woods to learn about the
antics that were Woodstock. Students met in the lobby at 8:00 am and departed for the hour-long
bus ride to Bethel. Once the group arrived around 9am, the bus drove the students down to the original site of the 1969 Woodstock festival to admire the monument and lawn where half a million people gathered for music, fun and demonstrations of peace. After the segment of the trip at the field, which was very brief, the bus took students up to the Bethel Woodstock museum. In the museum, the group was broken into two smaller teams, and each was given a tour guide. From there, one half of students went into the museum and the other half learned about and explored the event hall. Groups then switched so all students had the opportunity to experience both smaller tours.
During the museum tour, a portion of the students saw pictures, outfits, and gained a significant amount of information about the 60's and Woodstock itself. A standout part of the tour was the bus replica of what many people journeyed to Woodstock in. It featured vibrant colors and groovy patterns and projected a video in the windshield. The walls of the museum were littered with quotes from original Woodstock attendees and facts about influential people, events, and music of the 1960's.
(Photos by Sarah Martin)
After touring the museum and event hall, both classes met in the theater to watch a 21-minute video mainly about performances at Woodstock such as Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. Students were then escorted to the Peter Max museum inside the Bethel museum where they got to observe the art of the 60's. Max's art was colorful, bright, and strongly displayed a "hippy-dippy" vibe.
The trip to Woodstock was preceded by weeks of learning about the 1960's, and everything
from the politics to the fashion of the era. Students had very useful knowledge of Woodstock
prior to the trip, but the trip truly brought the facts to life. Seeing faces of people who "lived the
festival" lining the wall made it all seem more personal, and really brought to life the event. Seeing the performances on the big screen made students feel as though they were sitting on the lawn of the actual concert. Going to Bethel and seeing exactly where 500,000 people spent three days celebrating harmony and music was extremely cool and unreal. The trip was a great experience for all involved.
The Pop Culture classes are half-year electives currently taught by Mr. LaPolt and Mr. LaPolla.
