Adventure Awaits

The Middle School heads out on its annual class trips April 16 & 17, with the grade levels traveling to Mystic, Ct. (grades 5 and 6), New York City (grade 7) and Washington, D.C. (grade 8). These trips serve to build grade-wide identity and relationships, make real-world curricular connections, and give students the opportunity to experience history, art and culture.

“For some of the students, this is the first time they will navigate a new city without their family by their side, relying instead on their teachers and their peers — their community,” said Director of Middle School Cynthia Harmon. “Whether they are stretching toward a new level of independence or bonding more deeply with a classmate, these trips represent the quintessential Middle School ‘stretch,’ growing beyond our 55-acre campus.”

To begin preparing students, faculty members asked questions like, What can you do to make sure you and your classmates have a positive trip experience? and What could get in the way of you and your classmates having a positive trip experience? Can you think of ways, in general, to deal with obstacles?

Each grade level also incorporated curricular connections into their pre-trip learning:
•    The 5th and 6th grades discussed museum content and viewing during art class with Ms. Hendricks
•    The 7th grade received pre-teaching on the 9/11 Memorial and Irish Hunger Memorial as well as made science, technology and engineering connections to the Intrepid aircraft carrier
•    The 8th grade had ties to units in Social Studies, Earth Science and 7th grade Civics, and an exploration of the essential question: what is a monument vs. a memorial? 

“At Dana Hall, our commitment to preparing students to be ‘citizens of the world’ remains our North Star,” Harmon said. “We believe in providing guided opportunities for students to engage with the world’s complexities rather than turning away from them.”