Where’s the high school this week? At Watershed, students are always up to something unique and meaningful!
This week, Pablo, Claudia, Chelsea, and Jen took all 9th & 10th graders for a week on the Texas/Mexico border as an extension of their “Borders” expedition course. Meanwhile, the 11th & 12th graders are extending their “Caste and Class” course work in Minneapolis with Joie, Jeff, and Becky. Where else but Watershed would the entire 9th & 10th grade head off mid-trimester for a week of expeditionary fieldwork? We know that the deepest learning happens from direct experiences, and the best work comes when students engage in projects that are truly meaningful. And, most importantly, our school acts on that knowledge about learning and teaching.
Here’s a little more information about each trip:
The Border Trip- 9th & 10th grade
There are few places in the world where two countries as different as the United States and Mexico share such a long land border. Today, the glaring contrast between these two countries is unique and at times startling. This contrast provides a sharp backdrop for an exploration of culture, history, politics, economics, and other forces that have shaped the lives of residents on both sides of the border.
The purpose of this trip is to immerse students into the rural and urban cultures that exist on both sides of the border, and to explore the complex issues that arise when two very different worlds come together. Students will spend the first three days in El Paso and Juarez visiting with local residents, immigrant workers, immigration lawyers, Border Patrol agents, and grassroots organizations. From there, the group will drive to the small town of Redford, Texas on the Rio Grande upstream of Big Bend National Park. While spending nights camping on the edge of Big Bend Ranch State Park in the United States, students will take day trips into the towns of Redford and Presidio in Texas and the towns of Mulato and Ojinaga in Mexico. They will have the opportunity to interview local residents about their lives on the border, cook with a local family, talk with a local historian, and spend a half day with high school students at a rural Mexican school.
The Caste and Class Trip- 11th & 12th grade
Minneapolis is a city of diverse communities of various socioeconomic classes. The goal is that students will take this opportunity to expand their worldview in working with communities outside of their own and have the chance to further their understanding through interview, lecture, and dialogues with other students and community members. The essential question for this course is: What defines a caste or class system, and can societies eradicate them as a perpetuation of human rights?
The first 4 weeks of study brought students through cursory study of India’s caste system, research into the most prominent Hindu communities in the USA brought me to the Hindu Society of Minnesota, the largest temple in North America. Students will have the opportunity to listen to Hindu scholars and guides as they share more in-depth knowledge of Hinduism, Indian culture, and the caste system. They’ll also be working with Pearll Warren, a housing counselor at the Urban League of Minneapolis. Her desire to help families attain equity in affordable housing and also her work with the homeless, foster and group home youth, and community activism makes her an apt contact to introduce the class to the challenges that Minneapolis communities face regarding their struggle with upward mobility. Additionally, students will tour the Science Museum that currently has a special exhibit on race. Lastly, they’ll have the opportunity to work with MATTER, a global NGO that works on food scarcity as well as STEM education initiatives in marginalized student communities.
We are continually inspired by our educators’ ability to create such unique and impactful learning experiences for our students, and the Borders and Caste and Class courses are no exception.
While Watershed’s halls aren’t exactly quiet this week and the middle school has enjoyed trying to fully ‘own the space’, it has seemed a little empty around here. We’re looking forward to the high school’s return because we can’t wait to hear about their experiences and also because, well, we miss them!
