The fourth annual South Campus chemistry field trip commenced on Dec. 1, bringing more than 650 LT students and 100 chaperones to the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) so that students could explore the vast array of scientific findings held at the museum. The usually calm field trip was overshadowed, however, by a shattered mirror.

At some point during the day-long field trip, a group of LT students, who will remain anonymous due to confidential nature of student discipline, were rough-housing and consequently broke a mirror, leading the museum to shut down the exhibit until it was cleaned up due to safety reasons, chemistry teacher Erica Flounders said.

“I was in the mirror maze and I just heard ‘run, they called security!’” sophomore chemistry student Katie Westrick ‘17 said.

Despite this incident, however, LT plans on continuing to have the field trip next year, and will remind their students again that a field trip is simply an extension of the classroom, Principal Brian Waterman said.

“Anytime you take 600-plus students anywhere things are going to happen,” Waterman said. “I’m not surprised that it did happen [and would not be surprised if] it didn’t happen.”

This field trip, one of the largest at LT, is open to every single chemistry student, making it significantly bigger than the physics field trip to Six Flags, which is only available to prep students. Due to the number of students attending, LT also brings along one chaperone for every 10-11 students as an attempt to ensure the students’ safety and remind them of their responsibilities to represent the school in a positive way.

“I was really worried they were going to cancel the field trip,” Westrick said. “I thought it was really fun and having that experience with friends was really great. MSI is a pretty fun place.”

LT did not want to punish all because of the actions of a few, Waterman said.

No new regulations or guidelines have been discussed in regards to how this field trip will be handled in the years to come. Per protocol at LT, once a field trip request is submitted it includes the guidelines and expectations for the said trip. According to Waterman, there will most likely be no changes in how the trip in set up or an increase in the number of chaperones present.

“I think this was an extreme case of some guys messing around,” Westrick said. “If there was a chaperone watching you the whole time, I don’t think you would get the same experience of expanding your learning.”

Although LT offered to pay for the damages done, MSI insisted on covering it, and fully intend to have LT back next year.

“They were great at understanding,” Waterman said. “We have a great relationship with the museum.”

As for now, LT students and staff can expect very little changes to be made in regards to the sophomore chemistry field trip to MSI.