The week before spring break is traditionally a different one at the Community School of Davidson (CSD) high school as students get to select out of classroom learning experiences that take them off campus and across the state for multiple days. This learning block is called intersession and students choose one group from more than two dozen options based on their interests.
As CSD’s 2026 intersession kicked off on March 31, 2026, so did the museum hopping group. The group was led by Bobby Hardin, wood arts teacher, and Caitlyn Gomez, ceramics teacher.
On the first day of intersession, the group traveled to Charlotte to visit the Mint Museum Randolph. This museum consists of an outdoor park area where they spent a majority of time after visiting the museum’s inside features. Students brought their own lunches and brought footballs, frisbees, etc. to enjoy their outdoor time.
Davis Moran (‘28), a student in the group, felt that seeing all the paintings in the museums was a unique experience and something that he will remember.
“Museum hopping was fun for me because it was so cool looking at all of those paintings,” Davis Moran said.
On the second day, the group went to the larger Mint Museum in downtown Charlotte. This museum was much bigger than the Mint Randolph, consisting of several more floors than Randolph. The students were free to go wherever they wanted in the museum before the designated meet up time later in the morning. The students were also able to eat lunch wherever they chose after the museum tour, allowing for some delicious opportunities for viewing and relaxing, both in the museum and on the nearby grounds.
Travis Nguyen (‘29) reflected on being able to have fun and be with his friends during intersession 2026.
“I liked getting to look at the paintings with my friends and have fun the entire time,” Travis Nguyen said.
When the final day of intersession arrived, the museum hopping group boarded buses back to downtown Charlotte to visit the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.
The group arrived early so, before the tour, the group stopped at Amelie’s French Bakery right down the street until the museum opened.
They then walked to the museum, the final one of the week. This museum had a lot of outdoor areas as well as art that tended more towards the modern era. As the tour ended, students went wherever they wanted for lunch until it was time to go.
The museums were chosen due to their popularity, as well as the interests that the students expressed in each of them. While the museum hopping intercession group happens every year, the museums change based on student interest and selection.
The 2026 museum hopping intersession was an unforgettable one for students, and most likely will be a popular option for next year, as well.
