Boston Exhibit
Was Educational

(The following letter to the editor is from a 6th grader at Randolph Elementary School, in response to the letter printed Nov. 16 criticizing the school's decision to send elementary students to Boston to see the BodyWorlds exhibit.)

On Friday, Nov. 17 the 5th and 6th graders from Randolph Elementary School went to the Boston Museum of Science. We went there to see the Body Worlds 2 exhibit. At this exhibit we saw cadavers (dead bodies) that had been plastinated, which means they were preserved in plastic with no skin so we could see the inner and outer organs, bones and muscles. The kids who went there had to have permission slips both for the museum and for school, to go on this trip. The 5/6 teachers were very understanding for the kids who wanted to go on this trip but did not want to see this exhibit. Most of us did want to see it, but some thought it was better just to go look at other exhibits.

Last week (11/16) there was a concern expressed in the newspaper that we should not go on this trip. But we did. Being 11 years old I am happy we went on this trip. I learned a lot more by seeing everything in real life than by reading a textbook.

I do agree that this exhibit would be good for medical students and artists, but I also think it helped us understand how our bodies work and what it looks like inside.

I just want to thank Shirley Stewart for letting us go, to the bus drivers for getting us there and back safely, to all the chaperones and of course to all the teachers, and the parents for letting us go.

Mollie Surprenant

Randolph