Spring Session is CH-CH's experiential learning program that involves all members of the community. Since 2013, Spring Session has opened the door to exciting experiential-learning opportunities for all CH-CH students. The 2019 sessions gave students the opportunity to create, travel, and connect with history in ways that could only exist by getting out of the classroom.
Students spend the last week of May engaged in a Spring Session of their choosing, partaking in activities that have included exploring the culture of Montréal, camping at Acadia National Park, visiting historic Civil Rights sites in Alabama, and having the opportunity to meet a Holocaust survivor.
"Spring Session is really something that I think embodies the spirit of what we imagine education can and should be...”
“Spring Session is really something that I think embodies the spirit of what we imagine education can and should be: there’s a lot of choice and a lot of opportunities for students to engage with the world in both scholarly and in more practical, perhaps, more authentic ways,” Bubar said. “There are lots of things that don’t come out in a traditional classroom that demonstrate value as human beings.”
These opportunities allow students to step out of the classroom and deeply engage in real-world learning in an area of interest.
“It provides us with this avenue to really get our students out in the world in a lot of different ways,” said Bubar. “That was definitely at the top of the list: how do we get our students out in the world? How do we get our students experiencing a wide variety of things?”
Take a look at a few of 2019's session offerings:
Making a Mural on Campus
In recent years CH-CH has begun a tradition of creating murals on campus. This group of students helped add to that tradition by creating their own mural on campus, located in the Worcester Dorm.
Camping at Acadia
Students spent the week hiking and camping in America’s most visited national park, while they learned outdoor skills such as cooking over a fire and navigating through the wilderness.
Civil Rights Journey
Examining the Past to Make Change Today: This thought-provoking session centered on a trip to the American South. Students traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, visited museums, numerous historical sites, and walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, shadowing the footsteps of those who fought for voting rights. Once they returned to CH-CH, they taught others how these heroes made a change.
Who Will You Speak For?
A spring session where students traveled to Washington, D.C., had the opportunity to meet and have lunch with Holocaust survivors, toured the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and viewed all of Washington’s monuments. Once this group got back to CH-CH, they hosted a luncheon with a local Holocaust survivor.
Exploring Montreal
Students on the "Explorez Montreal" session had the opportunity to visit the old and new parts of the culturally diverse city of Montreal, experienced French-Canadian food, and cultural tradition.
Heroes in Sports
Students visited Toronto, Cooperstown, and Springfield, (Yes, three different cities!) with the goal of investigating what it means to be a hero in the world of sports and discussed how athletes have the opportunity to use their fame to facilitate change.
Click HERE to view the highlights from all the 2019 Spring Session course offerings!
The Spring Session program adds a component of experiential learning to the on-campus curriculum.
“It’s really something that I think embodies the spirit of what we imagine education can and should be: there’s a lot of choice and a lot of opportunities for students to engage with the world in both scholarly and in more practical, perhaps, more authentic ways,” Bubar said. “There are lots of things that don’t come out in a traditional classroom that demonstrate value as human beings.”
Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School is located in Waltham, MA. Learn more about experiential learning at CH-CH.
