Epilogue, the Becton chapter of the National English Honor Society, has just completed its first field trip! On April 12, 2024, members had the opportunity to partake in some of the activities of the Pace University Poetry and Prose Festival. About 10 NEHS members participated in a workshop-style event along with Epilogue advisors Dr. Bryan DeSousa and Mrs. Catherine Valente. Here, they had a chance to hear some poetry from Dorothea Lasky’s new collection, “The Shining”, based on the popular horror film, as well as some special spring and flower themed poems.

Lasky is an Associate Professor of Poetry at Columbia University’s School of the Arts and an accomplished writer, having authored six full length collections of poetry, as well as one book of prose and also several chapbooks (poetry collections of a slightly shorter length.) Becton’s NEHS members were the only high school students present, and they got to experience a college level writing workshop with current Pace University students.

Members got to meet Lasky as well as write some of their own poems through a series of creative exercises and even a collaborative activity that allowed attendees to improve their own skills by sparking ideas off of each other. Dr. DeSousa describes the purpose of this type of field trip as a form of “experiential learning,” a very popular concept in education that emphasizes the benefits of learning by experiences, through practical application, rather than simply theoretical research.

There is another trip to Pace University scheduled for next year, but next time there are plans to extend it to a full day along with a campus tour as to get more of the “college experience.” Thus, the hope would be to sit in on an introductory English class to get more of the actual experience of attending college.

Future plans for Epilogue beyond Pace University include a trip in May to see a play, and as Dr. DeSousa puts it, “even more field trips, performances, or events that bring English to life.”