On Tuesday, November 3, 2009, Ms. Lonergan and Mrs. Stoker’s American Literature class traveled by van to Newport, RI to visit the Rosecliff Mansion. The class had recently finished their unit on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1920’s novel The Great Gatsby.

The Great Gatsby was filmed at the Rosecliff Mansion and was a perfect example of the key concept of “old money” that was portrayed in the book and movie. The intention of the trip was to give the students a historical concept to the literature as well as to bring the setting of the novel to life.

The trip was funded by a Westborough Education Grant that Ms. Lonergan and Mrs. Stoker had applied for in the spring of 2009. They were awarded the grant and applied it to the cost of the admission fee for the mansion.

The class spent most of the day at Rosecliff, taking a tour of the beautiful mansion. When asked if she enjoyed the trip, Ms. Lonergan replied, “I did! It was great! The weather was beautiful and the students were well mannered. It was very interesting.”

“Yes, it was a lot of fun! It was a new experience,” said junior Christine Hillier, who attended the field trip. She also exclaimed, “The mansion was really pretty.”

“Yes, it was pretty fun!” said junior Antony Macario, another student who was on the field trip.

The class really enjoyed the mansion and thought it was a perfect example of “old money”.

The class was also lucky enough to have such a great day that they were able to picnic on the beach. At the end of the day, they packed up and took the van back to Westborough High School. The trip was a great success and a wonderful time.