Great Bay Charter School students visit Boston
EXETER — Fifty-se students from Great Bay Charter School visited Boston on May 12 for a field trip made possible thanks to scholarships and donations.
The students received a guided tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum through a scholarship Humanities teacher Olivia Lawrance obtained. “This tour supplemented our humanities curriculum in innumerable ways,” Lawrance said. “The true focus of humanities is critical thinking and analysis skills, and we were able to practice those skills in abundance in real-world environments. Students learned about art, culture, and civilization through experiential learning.”
Sophomore Zach Bouchard said he liked that the field trip made him feel like he was the teacher. “My favorite part was the museum. I loved learning about the art theft crime and diving into the art and examining it on a deep level,” he said. “I enjoyed analyzing the painting called The Tragedy of Lucretia.”
Transportation for the trip was largely funded by donations from individuals and businesses who stepped up to contribute. The students began their day by walking to the Amtrak Downeaster in Exeter, then riding the train to North Station in Boston. From there, they rode the T to the area of the museum where they enjoyed a picnic lunch outside.
“As an educator, it feels validating to watch students navigate the real world successfully in real time, using lessons on flexibility and adaptive responses from the classroom,” said English teacher John McDonough. “Most of our students had never been on a train before, but here they were moving confidently from one iconic landmark to another. Given enough time, I have no doubt that anyone of them might solve the mystery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist.”
Great Bay Charter School is a project-based school in Exeter that serves students in grades 6 to 12. As a public charter school, GBCS is a tuition-free alternative to larger, traditional public schools, and is open to students from throughout New Hampshire. For more information, visit www.gbecs.org.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Great Bay Charter School students visit Boston
