St Andrew’s and St Bride’s pupils enjoy sights and sounds of the Big Apple

The Big Apple was the place to be for St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School senior pupils.

Instead of the customary trip to London, the students headed Stateside to New York City.

In the lead-up to the memorable trip, pupils and staff raised funds by bag-packing at Sainsbury’s Kingsgate store, which allowed them to buy special hoodies and T-shirts.

All the school’s senior pupils jetted off and were joined by staff members Scott McGregor, Michelle McPolin, Barbara Martin, Alan Shaw and Peter Johnston.

The trip kicked off with a visit to the Hard Rock Cafe on the first night, which was close to their hotel and within walking distance of iconic Times Square.

Other sights on the party’s ‘to do’ list were a Statue of Liberty cruise, a poignant visit to the 9/11 memorial, Madison Square Gardens and the Empire State Building.

Staff and pupils also got on their bikes to cycle in Central Park and took in a Yankees versus Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball game – travelling to the stadium in The Bronx on the subway.

Shopaholics got some retail therapy on Fifth Avenue at the Century 21 downtown discount store and Bubba Gump NYC, where they headed before watching Wicked on Broadway.

Other iconic New York sights visited included Planet Hollywood, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Intrepid Museum, the Rockefeller Center, St Patrick’s Catherdral and Ellis Island.

The group also took a bus tour of the city that never sleeps and absorbed the atmosphere of Little Italy and China Town.

PE teacher Scott McGregor said: “We would like to thank Claire and all the staff at Sainsbury’s Kingsgate for allowing us to bag pack for this trip of a lifetime.

“The whole trip was an amazing experience and all the pupils said they would love to return to New York soon with Times Square and the Yankees game standing out for them.”