Media Arts Program students were buzzing with excitement on March 8 as they boarded a coach bus heading to Los Angeles on the annual MAP 11 field trip. They were accompanied by five teachers who served as chaperones.
Over the busy four-day trip, the students left the comforts of the Glendale Hilton hotel as early as 8:45 a.m. and did not return until as late as midnight. Groups toured colleges like USC, Chapman to get a taste of what it would be like to pursue film as a career. A new addition to the college visits this year, Pasadena City College, allowed students to gain perspective on other quality film schools they could attend without the burden of a high tuition at schools such as USC.
Also, the trip stopped at Universal Studios and Warner Bros. Studios, and students shared laughs at a Comedysportz show. This year, assistant principal Kerry Mohnike, who organized the trip, decided to take the group to the hit Broadway musical “Finding Neverland.”
For junior Gina Hinojosa, the most exciting part of the trip was visiting the sets of hit TV shows like “Pretty Little Liars” and “The Ellen Degeneres Show.”
“I enjoyed the set of ‘Pretty Little Liars’ at the Warner Bros. Studio tour we all took as a class,” Hinojosa said. “I’ve been watching that show since I was in fifth grade, so I had a surreal moment as I entered their world instead of watching from a screen.”
Besides touring the capital of the film industry, students were also exposed to the many history lessons MAP teacher Matt Torrens brought along with him. The field trip made pit stops at historical sites like Walt Disney’s grave and toured museums such as the Getty Center and the Griffith Observatory.
“I did get to see the comparison between classic European Art versus Impressionist artwork [at the Getty Center], and how they totally contrast,” junior Tyler Torrens said. “My favorite part about the trip was experiencing the culture of Southern California, and it was great to get a taste of somewhere other than the Bay Area.”
Not only did students get to explore the wonders of Los Angeles, but they also got the chance to become a tighter-knit group than they were before in previous years and to get to know each other outside of the classroom.
“I think the trip brought a lot of people together,” Torrens said. “I got to talk to people that I hadn't talked to in such a long time or hadn't talked to ever, and I made new friends.”