As they do at the end of each school year, our soon-to-be graduates had a very memorable overnight trip to Boston last week. Students experienced a walking tour with a Park Service ranger of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, the Black Heritage Trail, and the African Meeting House, where Frederick Douglass spoke on many occasions. Eighth graders took turns delivering passages from Douglass’s seminal, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech from memory. Later that day, they traveled by boat to Thompson Island and spent the night in dorms. On day two, they returned to the mainland where they meandered along Boston’s Emerald Necklace and Freedom Trail and made their way to the historic North End. The experience was not only educational, but inspirational. What a special way to prepare for their Crossroads graduation, that is only a few short weeks away!
