On the Road With the Middle School

This fall, middle school students are exploring the world beyond Masters through experiential field trips.

As part of their interdisciplinary study of Ancient Egypt, fifth graders visited the Egyptian art collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on October 27. Middle school teachers Katie Meadows, Michaela Boller and Bruce Robbins organized a “treasure hunt” for the students in the museum. They tasked them with identifying an artifact that best represents the Egyptian god or goddess they will develop into a puppet character in visual arts class. In English class students are beginning to write a story using these characters and in music class, the fifth graders will transform their script into a libretto. The yearlong project culminates with a seminal puppet opera performance in the spring.

Silas Effron enjoyed seeing all the exhibits and “looking at all of the cool Egyptian artifacts and gold.” Sylvie Knauss was a fan of the hieroglyphics and noted “this experience will help us with writing the opera.” 
 
For Sebastian Tomas, seeing “some amazing statues” was a trip highlight. Classmate William Garberina liked “how we got to see the artifacts for our own gods or goddesses and learn more about them.” 

Boller, the fifth grade dean, was “most impressed with how the students embraced this experience with joy and enthusiasm.” With a knowing nod, Meadows added “This is the beginning of an exciting journey.”

Meanwhile, seventh graders embarked on a different journey as they dove into their curriculum about immigration, past and present. 

On November 3, through research and collaborative storytelling, the students in Mary Chapell’s and Paul Friedman’s humanities classes participated in a classroom reenactment of early 20th century immigrants traveling through Ellis Island. 

“The next day, students ‘debrief’ what they experienced and felt, compared to what real immigrants experienced and felt,” Chapell explained. “They are aware that they were pretending, but waiting in line, not knowing what we as ‘inspectors’ would ask, hoping we would believe their story.”

A field trip to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration followed a week later.

“It gave them the opportunity to see the place they had heard so much about, and explore the stories of individuals, and large groups of immigrants as they went step by step through the halls of the inspection station,” Chappell said. “It is always a highlight for students to find their ancestor’s name on the Wall of Immigrants, if they had one who passed through after 1897.”
 
Next, the students study tenement life in New York City and cover a unit on Angel Island in California. “This is how we connect the students to the past and present plights of immigrants, and the struggles they face from those already here,” added Chappell.

The history and culture lessons continued down the turnpike to Philadelphia for the School’s eighth grade students on November 3.

Teachers Stephen Hildreth and Tim Campbell took their history classes on the annual field trip that connects their study of the Constitutional Convention and the Constitution with the research essay students will write on a historical or present-day constitutional issue.

“I enjoy the total experience of the students being together (all that fun teenage bonding), learning more about American history and the Constitution and standing in the very rooms where so much history was made,” said Hildreth.
 
They viewed exhibits in the National Constitution Center and saw “Freedom Rising,” a live performance and multimedia experience about the Constitution.

“The show was inspiring and I learned a lot about the country’s struggle for freedom for all,” said Beatrice Hopper ’27.

Sightseeing stops throughout historic Philadelphia included the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Carpenters’ Hall and the Second National Bank.

Danny Skrenta ’27 appreciated seeing the Liberty Bell in person and standing in the same room where the Constitution was debated. He also liked spending the day with friends.

Lena Paull ’27 agreed. “The whole day was fun, from hanging with people on the bus to walking around old Philadelphia. It was nice to do a trip like this.”

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