Emery/Weiner Spring Trips

(From left) Morgan Levy, Amanda Barsky, Bess Krasoff, Ryan Middleman, Raquel Weisfeld, Lindsey Selzer, Kaitlyn Massin, and Lauren Weinberger at Kelly Ingram Park (Photo by Lauren Schoen)

As spring approaches, the Emery/Weiner students are getting excited about the upcoming class trips! Every March, high-schooler students at Emery go on week-long culture trips. Freshmen go to the Deep South, sophomores go to San Francisco, and juniors go to New York City. Each trip focuses on a different theme. The trips are always packed with activities, learning, and of course, lots of fun! 

The Deep South trip focuses on the Civil Rights Journey. The trip begins in Atlanta, Georgia, where the students visit the Martin Luther King Center, the largest repository of primary source materials on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students also get to see King’s childhood home and later visit Ebeanezer Baptist Church. They meet with Reverend Williams, who was a close friend of King’s and they learn about the Reverend’s experience with civil rights in Atlanta. 

In Montgomery, Alabama, students visit the Rosa Parks Museum and tour the Southern Poverty Law Center, where they continue to learn about the civil rights movement. In Birmingham, the class goes on a tour of the Freedom Walk in Kelly Ingram Park, where protesters marched for rights.  

Next, the class goes to Memphis, Tennessee. They visit Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home, and walk around Beale Street. The students learn about the history of rock and soul music at Sun Studios and eat dinner at a rock music club. The final stop is for the Civil Rights Museum, where the kids review everything that they’ve learned. At the end of the week, it’s time to go home, but the class is already excited for the next trip!

As sophomores, students go to San Francisco to understand tolerance. When they first arrive, they take a double-decker bus tour of the city and walk around San Francisco’s famous Chinatown.  The class then spends a full day at Hidden Villa Organic Farm, learning about environmental problems and eco-efficient methods of farming. This past year, Emery took sophomores to Oracle Arena and watched the Warriors play Orlando Magic. The kids loved it!

Students also visit and tour Stanford University and meet with Cory Levy (EWS Class of 2010), the co-founder and COO of One (mobile app). That afternoon, the class visits Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative/Job Corps and has a panel discussion with people who have overcome homelessness and are working to get back on their feet. In the evening, the class takes a traditional trolley ride around San Francisco and learns about the history of the city. On the final day of the trip, sophomores visit the Public Defenders’ Office and are able to sit in on a real trial! 

The final stop, and arguably the most exciting part of the trip is the night visit to Alcatraz. Kids take a ferry to Alcatraz Island and learn about the history of the prison. 

The focus of the junior spring trip to New York City is empathy - challenging students to empathize with people different from themselves and to seek a deeper understanding of cultural works that demand prolonged engagement and empathy: art, music, memorials, and theater.
 
Students meet with Hassidic Jews in Brooklyn: people that defend indigent members of society, those seeking to leave Orthodox Judaism, people who organize and support low-income housing co-ops, and those working with victims of domestic violence. 

Students also visit special exhibitions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, see two Broadway shows, tour New York University (NYU), and explore several of New York City’s neighborhoods including Times Square, the Theater District, Downtown, and Greenwich Village. The kids have plenty of free time to try new restaurants, museums, areas, and shopping, whether it’s the south, California, or New York.

Students love the annual spring culture trips, which offer a perfect combination of educational and personal growth, and fun and bonding with their classmates.