“Scholars take the Midwest”

Dan Conley, Joe McShea, and Brian Sproule in Chicago attending the Scholars’ Trip

On the brisk morning of Thursday, October 26th, the members of the Baginski Scholars Program (myself included) embarked on our six-hour coach bus journey to the great city of Chicago. Along with a number of my scholarly-compatriots, I had never been to Chicago, or that far West in the U.S. for that matter, so naturally my mind was filled with a myriad of preconceptions and expectations. Having seen movies like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Transformers: The Dark Side of The Moon,” I held Chicago’s downtown area in pretty high regard. After a few episodes of The Office and some breaks for typical rest-stop fare, we finally arrived in the “Windy City.”

The trip began with arriving at the Acme Hotel in downtown Chicago, our homestead for the long weekend. The hotel was both chic and stylish, featuring rock music-inspired decor and contemporary art throughout both the rooms, lobby, and common areas. After exchanging our sweatpants and hoodies for dress shoes and suit jackets, we embarked down Randolph Street en route to the Cadillac Palace Theater. It was here that we were treated to an absolutely fantastic performance of Les Miserables, a play featuring a number of themes mentioned throughout the Scholars Program curriculum.

The second day began with a trip to the University of Chicago on the city’s south side. While at the university, my fellow scholars and I attended a lecture given by Professor Charles Lipson on the matter of the first amendment. During the talk, Lipson addressed a number of topics regarding free speech, among which is that of dissent within a country and the people’s right to organize, or “assemble” against it, topics that we had been discussing only the week prior in our Junior Seminar course. Being able to experience a college-level lecture at a university of that ilk is one that not many can have. Following our visit to the University of Chicago was a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry, which featured a myriad of interesting and engaging exhibits including a tour of an actual German U-Boat. Later that night we made our way to the Chicago Navy Pier for dinner and a performance of The Taming of The Shrew by Chicago’s Shakespeare Theater, performed by an all-women cast. The unique rendition of the century-old story was among my favorite parts of the trip.

And thus came the third day: our last in the great city of Chicago. It began with an architectural boat tour on the Chicago river, which with the thirty degree midwest weather and the strong winds giving the city its namesake, would have been unbearably cold had it not been for the warm apple cider served below deck. Following the tour, we were lucky enough to squeeze in a visit to the Chicago Art Institute. Given that I was able to see the exact exhibit where the iconic museum scene was shot in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (my favorite movie might I add), I can say that this was my favorite part of the trip without a doubt. The day concluded with the two things every tourist must do when visiting Chicago, visit the top of the Willis Tower and have a slice of authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza.

To conclude the Scholar trip across the midwest, we made a three hour “pit stop” in South Bend, Indiana to visit the University of Notre Dame and attend Sunday Mass in the basilica. Though I am not very fond of The Fighting Irish (namely their football team), the ceremony was beautiful and very memorable. After a brief tour of the campus from a couple of alumni from both Central and the Scholars program, we were lucky enough to take part in a sample seminar with both an astrophysics professor and a theology professor in a joint lecture on the scope of the universe. Our last moments in South Bend were spent in the bookstore purchasing souvenirs and sweatshirts to commemorate the journey. We then made our final departure, heading back home to Central Catholic.

The trip was a truly incredible and educational experience that would not have been possible without the great effort and generosity of the directors of the Baginski Scholars Program and the many alumni that were involved in the trip. If a trip like this sounds like something you are interested in, applications for the program are currently being accepted for next year’s school year.