TOWNSHEND, Vt. – A group of Leland and Gray High School students worked diligently this fall to plan, fundraise, and ultimately co-lead an educational journey down to New York City and New Orleans. The planning of this trip was in tandem with Leland and Gray’s Project Based Learning program, a once a week class where students take the reins on teaching, learning, and creating a project. For their trip, Journey Away, students focused on climate disasters in both cities, and gathered oral histories of how floods, hurricanes, and more changed peoples’ lives.
Students began the journey in New York City, where they met with local business owners to learn about their entrepreneurship and how their business was affected by natural disasters. The group visited the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken to speak with former students and climate engineers, and visited the United Nations, before hopping on the train down to New Orleans. Their time in New Orleans was filled with new experiences and new connections while experiencing an unknown culture. The group visited the Borgne Surge Barrier, Cafe du Monde, the Mississippi River, the Katrina National Memorial Foundation, and more. In addition to all the valuable learning from each site, the bonds between the students were really what stuck. Student Ely White mentioned that his favorite times were cooking dinner and listening to music with his peers in their floating cabin in Bayou Segnette State Park.
When asked about their time in New Orleans, students appreciated the opportunity to connect with new people and learn about a new lifestyle. Adriana Fairbrother explained that bonding with other students and with the people they met was her favorite part. She said she was especially interested in the stories they heard about how natural disasters had affected people’s lives in Louisiana. When asked how the trip impacted her life, she explained, “I haven’t realized the impact on my life yet, but I bet when I look back in ten years it will be clear.” The impact on Ely White was more immediate; he feels more fortunate in life to have a safe place to live, a roof over his head, and a school to attend. Going forward, he is inspired to try to help others who are not as fortunate.
Jessa Harger, one of the three group leaders, was very proud of the commitment and growth exhibited. She feels that their trip to New York and New Orleans was a spark within the school community, noting that “the larger community followed along on Facebook and cheered us on.” There was a sense of disbelief at first, about how well everything turned out. This trip was the culmination of all their hard work through their Project Based Learning class. It is also an example for the rest of the school of how anything is possible with hard work and thoughtful planning.