November 9, 2009
Eighth Graders Visit Civil War Sites
Category: Academy Headlines | Academy Spotlight | Community News Headlines | Multimedia
Tags: Middle Division, Students
On Tuesday, November 3rd through Friday, November 6th, Academy at the Lakes 8th graders – guided by Mr. Pitcairn and Mrs. Carr – undertook their traditional extended trip. This year, with the assistance of a professional educational travel company, the Academy designed an adventure that closely matched the students’ social studies curriculum: Atlanta: The Civil War Experience. Students extended their studies of this important period in American history outside of the classroom and to some of the very locations of the events that they have been studying. Students explored the Atlanta History Center’s signature exhibit, Turning Point: The American Civil War, one of the nation’s largest and most complete exhibits of Civil War artifacts and stories. Students visited the Chickamauga Battlefield, part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, where they viewed a film that put the battle in context, enjoyed a hands-on Common Soldier program led by one of the National Park Rangers, and visited selected sites on the battlefield – including the monument erected by the State of Florida to honor its soldiers who served there. Students learned about one of the important, culminating battles of the Civil War at the Atlanta Cyclorama. This unique museum features a 358’ circumference “cyclorama” painting of the July 1864 Battle of Atlanta. Students also visited the Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville, Georgia, where they were guided through both the site and story of the infamous Civil War POW camp by one of the National Park Rangers, explored the excellent exhibits at the National Prisoner of War Museum, and walked the hallowed ground of the Andersonville National Cemetery. Interspersed with these visits to significant curriculum related sites, students also enjoyed a guided tour of CNN’s Atlanta studios, exploring Stone Mountain Park (with the expansive views from the summit and the challenge one of the country’s largest adventure ropes courses), and the opportunity to engage in a few hours of traditional teen fun (video games and go-karts) at a nearby Malibu Grand Prix Entertainment Center. By the end of the trip, students experienced an action-packed and enlightening adventure, learned a variety of life lessons about traveling, and bonded more closely as a class.
