Aughnacloy College in the Big Apple

Members of staff travelled with 12 ICT and business studies students to the Big Apple on Saturday 18 November to undertake educational workshops at both Microsoft and Madame Tussauds.

The Microsoft store, located on 5th Avenue, gave students the chance to test new hardware and software that the company is currently developing. This included students having the opportunity to trial one of only two pioneering HoloLens headsets in the world - the first self-contained, holographic computer, enabling you to engage with your digital content and interact with holograms in the world around you.

Mr Patterson, ICT coordinator at Aughnacloy College, was delighted that his students were able to visit a leader in the IT world, saying

It was a fantastic opportunity for my students to see some amazing technology up close and to actually visit one of the most famous IT companies in the world.

We talk about Microsoft all the time in the classroom and use many of their applications every day, so to be there and have the chance to meet with people who develop this technology was brilliant for my students.

During a workshop at Madame Tussauds, students were given an in-depth marketing presentation on the branding techniques used by the business to maintain its position as one of New York City’s most visited tourist attractions.

Mr Moffett, business studies teacher at Aughnacloy College was impressed by the insights his students received during the marketing presentation at Madame Tussauds. He said

Business Studies is so exciting when it is applied to real life examples.

Seeing how a hugely successful business like Madame Tussauds operates and the strategies they put in place to ensure their business continues to grow gave my students a real insight into how businesses operate.

The trip, which was a collaboration between the ICT and Business Studies departments of the school, lasted four days and there was action packed itinerary. This included ice skating in Central Park, a roof top experience from the Empire State Building, a boat tour on the Hudson River and an outing to Broadway to watch the hit musical ‘School of Rock’.

Many of the famous boutiques and outlets of New York were also visited throughout the trip and student suitcases weighed significantly more when checking in for the return journey at JFK airport!

Students and staff arrived back on Wednesday 22November with many special memories made and stories to share from their adventures to the Big Apple.

14 December 2017