New Canaan Country School 9th Graders Walk in History’s Footsteps

From New Canaan Country School: New Canaan Country School ninth graders Sydney Coffield, Anna Hernandez, Brian Villalta, all of Stamford, Will Seiden of Rowayton, James Kontulis of New Canaan and Tyler Galante of Darien, visited the Edmund Pettus Bridge, scene of the historic 1965 Voter’s Rights March, in Selma, Alabama, April 17, as part of their expanded studies of the American Civil Rights movement. The fully-immersive, guided learning experience also had the students visit the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and the Rosa Parks Museum in Alabama, the site of the Emmett Till trial in Mississippi, and the Lorraine Motel/National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.

“When students actually walk in the footsteps of history, they understand the struggles and triumphs firsthand,” said Upper School Teacher Elizabeth Carroll who, together with Teacher Tom Giggi, taught the year-long humanities course and led the week-long trip.

Additional Expanded Studies course offerings included a study of marine biology culminating in a trip to coastal Florida and a study of ecology and sustainability culminating in a trip to the Pacific Northwest.

“The trip had a big impact on me,” said ninth grader Brian Villalta. “It made me deeply reflect on the measures that people went to for freedom.”

New Canaan Country school is a co-ed, independent day school for students in Pre-K (ages 3 & 4) through Grade 9. Located on a 75-acre campus in New Canaan, the school provides transportation to families living throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties. For more information about the school, please visit: www.countryschool.net.

Photo credit: New Canaan Country School

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