Exploring Beyond the Classroom

St. Agnes and St. Dominic students in JK-12^th grade have been learning far beyond the classroom walls this fall. From visits to farms and art galleries to a tour of Faulkner’s Rowan Oak, each field trip enriches classroom learning, sparks curiosity, and helps students connect their studies to the real world.

Carefully designed by our faculty, off-campus experiences provide opportunities that bolster comprehension, strengthen knowledge retention, and encourage students to think critically and observe closely. The impact reaches across every subject area—as evidenced by three groups who set out on unique off-campus learning adventures today.

Lower School Art Teacher, Meghan Slater, led a trip of SAA and SDS 4^th grade students to the Brooks Museum today, where they had the chance to participate in hands-on activities that helped them connect with the current exhibit.

“I love planning field trips for students to visit our local art museums to broaden their art knowledge outside of the classroom,” said Mrs. Slater. “The Brooks Museum provides learning opportunities for students in a new environment that help make abstract concepts more tangible. Touring a museum exposes students to real life artists, deepening their understanding of the importance of art in our world both past and present.”

Our St. Dominic 3^rd graders have been studying the Wampanoags in the Northeast as part of their unit on Thanksgiving, Pilgrim Life, and Wampanoag Life. Today those lessons took on a deeper meaning when the boys traveled with their teacher, Paige Henson, to the C.H. Nash Museum at the Prehistoric Chucalissa Archaeological Site. Here they learned about the Native Americans in our area of the country.

It was also a big day for our Kindergarten Suns who ventured off campus for a Day in the Woods. Mrs. Kelly Mungle embarks on this outdoor journey with her students every fall and spring. It has become a much-anticipated day of adventure and exploration incorporating concepts her students are learning at that time. For example, if boys are studying 3D shapes, Mrs. Mungle will lead them in a 3D shape scavenger hunt.

 “I think it is important for the boys to take learning outside the classroom and make connections with the real world,” said Mrs. Mungle. “I want them to own the learning process and take what I have taught them in class each day and allow them to grow and explore in nature.” 

Recently, Dr. Kathy Williamson led her AP Literature seniors on the annual trip to Oxford, Mississippi and a tour of William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak. Dr. Williamson is particularly passionate about visiting Rowan Oak - bringing Faulkner and a bit of Southern history to life for her students. This trip is the culmination of our seniors’ short story unit on the American South, providing them the historical and literary context for the works they have read and discussed in class.

Throughout the year, SAA and SDS students have many other opportunities to expand their horizons and make learning more meaningful.  From international trips in the Upper School to visits to local favorites, and multiple overnights retreats, the varied events are designed to spark students’ intellectual curiosity. Later this year the Upper School Fine Arts Department will guide students on a whirlwind tour of New York introducing them to subjects as diverse as art, finance, fashion, theater, dance and music. 

Off-campus experiences also promote social skills and comradery among our students, strengthening the brotherhood and sisterhood we cherish on our campus, while equipping them with necessary skills to interact with others out in the world.