One of the hallmarks of a GUS education is that learning is never restricted to the walls of our classrooms or to our physical campus. Instead, GUS serves as the home base for our students; it is the touch point where concepts, content, and skills are introduced through our intentionally crafted, student-centered, experiential, progressive curriculum. Teachers use field trips as a way for our students to engage in real-world work and experiences and to see their learning come alive while building community and getting to know each other better. The much-anticipated 8th grade New York City Trip is a great example of this idea in action.

Earlier this month, our eighth graders set off to The Big Apple for three full days and two nights of exploration. Their time visiting museums, cultural sites, famous landmarks, and even the simple act of eating together at restaurants well-known to many New Yorkers, was a perfect example of how our arts and humanities curriculum are brought to life through intentionally crafted trips that balance age-appropriate exposure and visits to places that make them culturally literate and more aware of the larger world like the United Nations and the Museum of Modern Art. The New York City trip is also an important opportunity for bonding and community building, and to experience the culture of the city over the course of three full days. 

Reflecting back, a perfect example of a cross-curricular activity was the day we started out at the United Nations, and had a tour that included seeing the room where a day before, 143 Member States voted in favor of a resolution “defending the principles” of the UN Charter as it pertains to the current situation in Ukraine and hearing from a tour guide about the hope the UN embodies in a world that can be beset by conflict. Students then walked across midtown, had a picnic in Bryant Park, took part in an impromptu juggling demonstration, and then met with one of the stars from the Broadway show, Hadestown, Jewelle Blackman. During this hour-long Q+A session, students were able to ask Jewelle questions about what her journey to Broadway was like, and they also gained perspective and tips for how to navigate not only their own musical ambitions for their play at GUS this spring, but also life in general as Ms. Blackman encouraged them to listen to their own inner voices, learn from mistakes and tune out any doubters, and most importantly, to refuse to give up on their dreams. When we saw Hadestown that night, Ms. Blackman’s words resonated with narrator Hermes’ message of hope at the end of the play. These words also seemed eerily representative of the message we heard at the United Nations that morning. The next day, students visited Ellis Island, saw the Statue of Liberty, and the Museum on Eldridge Street, all of which embody the dreams and hopes of so many people and cultures across our nation’s history.

These experiences put into action and make real some of the content students encounter and study in 8th grade, materials and information centered on the themes of immigration, coming of age, and the American Dream, guided by the 7th and 8th grade questions of “Who am I?” and “Where am I Going?” Getting to visit MoMA to look at the works of some of the greatest artists of the 20th and 21st centuries informs their choices for the White Shirt Project, while seeing a Broadway play helps prepare them for their annual 8th Grade Musical and dance performances. The trip has been a staple part of the 8th grade year at GUS years, but due to COVID, the trip had been on pause since 2019, and we were so glad to resume the tradition and look forward to seeing all of the seeds and fruit this trip bears for the 8th grade throughout the coming school year.