Savannah Day 3- Footprints of Slavery Tour/Afternoon With Gilbert Walker

Blog Written by Harry '22

It was an awesome day in Savannah for our group.  We slept a bit later than the previous two days and we felt revived and ready to go in the morning.  After breakfast our leader Christen discussed some interviewing and videoing strategies that we would later use during our time with Gilbert Walker.

This morning all of us got up to go to downtown Savannah to met with a woman people like to call Sister V.  Sister V took us on a walking tour of Savannah and talked about the African-American history like slavery there and we also got to compare the urban slaves that were in Savannah to the slaves that used to live on the island we went to yesterday. After eating lunch we went to meet Mr. Walker who is a blacksmith in his free time and he talked to us about being a blacksmith and the hard work that goes into being one. He talked about the rough process of doing blacksmithing and how it’s a lot of hard work. Lastly we had an authentic southern meal with hush puppies and colored greens and the meal was really good.

Christen explained some excellent skills to use for the afternoon.  Our goal in meeting with Gilbert Walker was to try to create a promotional piece for his work for him to post on social media.

In the morning today we took an awesome walking tour called "Footprints of Slavery in Savannah".  Our tour leader was an energetic and informative resident nicknamed Sister V.  Sister V gave us insight on some of the great African-American stories throughout the city of Savannah.  Jack, Jaewon and Harry were fascinated by her flip book!

In the afternoon, we went to Gilbert Walker's house to learn about his blacksmithing business.  Gilbert is a police officer but in his free time he creates blacksmith art.  Our job was to film, take pictures, and capture his story to later on make a promotional video for his Facebook.  Lauren did a great job on the camera the entire afternoon!

Gilbert needed assistance from Harry and Jaewon to make curves in the oyster shucker we were working on throughout the afternoon.  Lauren was able to catch this whole process on film.

At night, we had a local chef come to our house and give us a cooking lesson on making cornbread, hush puppies, and collared greens.  We enjoyed the lesson and loved the food!

Tomorrow we head to the Davenport House, a local museum which has recently added an exhibit on African-Americans in the city.  In addition, we will continue to work on our project for Gilbert Walker to use on his social media pages.  Check back tomorrow for more on our awesome experience here in Savannah!

Savannah Day 2- Sapelo Island

Blog written by Jaewon '20

Today was a long but a great day for us sophomores. Waking up early was a little difficult for us but i believe that it was worth it. Riding in the front of the ferry was a great feeling.  Gnats often disturbed us so I recommend wearing long sleeves or pants with bug spray. Looking at ruins from the slavery time and listening from the people origin from the island were good experiences. The bus was really impressive for myself.  The looks in and outside of the bus, a very old gas station, and unpaved roads were interesting to me.  Learning little more about the slavery and the African-American culture from the island were amazing learning and experience for us. In addition, throwing football and baseball in an enjoyable weather with the boys were also a good way to end our day.

The group took a great ride on the ferry from the mainland to Sapelo Island!

The group traveled to Chocolate Plantation, a former cotton plantation on the island.  Many of the ruins of former slave quarters still exist on Chocolate Plantation and we got to explore.

Many of the ruins on the plantation were built from a material called tabby (shown above).  Tabby concrete mixes sand, water, shells, and other materials to create a very strong foundation which has held up for hundreds of years.  We learned that enslaved people were not only making the tabby but also building the foundations on the plantation.

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We were next very lucky to meet "Doc" on Sapelo Island, a lifelong resident and local Deacon.  He talked about his many different jobs throughout his life and taught us about one of his hobbies, basket weaving (shown above).

Lunch by the beach was awesome!

The group got some post lunch beach time on the island!

In the afternoon we visited Reynolds Mansion or as the locals called it "the Big House".  This is where the plantation owner would have lived during the 1700-1800's.

To finish the day we played some ball in local Forsyth park and watched a movie together at night.

 Tomorrow we take a walking tour of Savannah and also will visit Gilbert Walker, a local police officer and blacksmith!

Savannah- A Sunny and Productive Day 1

Blog written by Lauren '22

We left New Hampton at around 3:30 am on buses to the airport. Our plane got delayed a little but it was all good. 

The group powered through a slight delay but we kept our spirits up!

Every body was tired but once we arrived in Savannah the worm weather and the beautiful trees gave us the energy that was needed to continue our adventure. We arrived in a cozy old house that directly felt like home. Of course we all rushed in the house to get the bigger room. After we settled
 in we learned more about Savannah and the history of our name thanks to activities directed by Christen.

We enjoyed an authentic southern meal for dinner called a lowcountry boil.  It consisted of shrimp, sausages, corn, and potatoes.

We enjoyed a few board games at night together before heading to bed.

Tomorrow we head to Sapelo Island, a state managed barrier island.  We are going to explore the history of the island and talk to direct descendants of former slaves on the island.  We will also try to gain an understanding of the Gullah-Geechee culture in southern United States.

Project Week 2020 is one week away!

In just one week, New Hampton School students will be embarking on a week-long experiential learning journey. 

The purpose of Project Week is to provide all students and faculty time for an extended and vigorous investigation of an essential question

through outstanding educational opportunities that are not possible in the standard classroom setting. Students engage in self-directed learning with appropriate adult guidance, and they self-reflect about the process, experience, and outcomes of their project throughout the week. Students will demonstrate the competencies they have learned during project week and reflect on their experience.

Project Week also allows us to dynamically pursue the New Hampton School mission of cultivating lifelong learners who will serve as active global citizens using project-based and experiential learning methods.