Off to "the Big Easy"
New Orleans, Louisiana--May 5-10, 2014
Thanks to the efforts of Jennings students and staff, we have some unique and memorable experiences awaiting us when we arrive in New Orleans this spring--not the least of which is a house where we can all stay together, cook meals and reflect on each busy day. Aptly named the House of Mirth, this home is located minutes from the French Quarter and just blocks from the Canal Street streetcar line. It is a 100-year-old piece of New Orleans history that has been completely restored after flooding during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and is now enjoyed by groups of travelers who wish to celebrate Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, the French Quarter Festival, the VooDoo Experience, and more. We are sneaking our trip in between these busy celebrations and hoping to enjoy a little calmer version of the Big Easy as we experience the history, ecology, art, and music of the area. Starting with an up-close-and-personal tour of the Mardi Gras floats guided by one of the local artists and ending with an excursion on a shrimp boat led by documentary film cast member, Captain George, whose first-hand experience with the BP oil spill will provide invaluable life lessons for the Jennings crew, we are sure to have an amazing trip full of authentic learning.
Preparations, Projects, and Presentations...
Starting approximately eight weeks before the trip, our travel group began holding weekly meetings in preparation for the experience. Research topics related to New Orleans and the surrounding areas were introduced and our "wheels started spinning" as we considered ways to earn social studies, science, art, and language arts credit. We found ourselves curious about all kinds of topics such as Voodoo, the Ninth Ward, Mardi Gras, the BP oil spill, Hurricane Katrina, Creole and Cajun culture, bayous, Pirate Jean LaFitte, the French Quarter, and more. Several students started New Orleans projects and will be presenting their information before we leave. Upon our return, all students will be asked to select a topic to research in more depth and share with the student body. Having witnessed first-hand the sights, sounds, and "flavors" of the area, these presentations are sure to have an authenticity and richness only gained through this kind of experiential learning.
TRIP ITINERARY
Monday, May 5th
Tuesday, May 6th
Wednesday, May 7th
Thursday, May 8th
Friday, May 9th
Saturday, May 10th
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Our Experience in the Big Easy and Beyond...
This bright red door greeted us as we arrived at the House of Mirth, our home for the next five days and just minutes from the French Quarter. What we discovered inside were spacious, colorful rooms with festive decor and plenty of spots for everyone to settle in and begin to anticipate our first big day in the old city. Some of us stayed to unpack and find our way around the house while others ventured out for some groceries at the nearby Rouse's grocery store. Once our refrigerator was loaded with breakfast and lunch foods, we headed off to bed for some much-needed rest after seven hours of travel that included a rushed layover in the Atlanta airport. The day was a definite "first" for several students who had never flown on an airplane before!!
Excited travelers heading out...
the house of Mirth--our home away from home!
Day 1--Our tour of the French quarter with adam and Tree
Meeting Adam
We knew we'd have a great time in New Orleans when Val's nephew, Adam, came riding up on his bicycle wearing Grandpa's fedora and sporting heart-shaped shades. A native of Nebraska (note the rental van's license plate--our little sign of good luck and NOLA magic), Adam has lived in the Big Easy now for several years and has made friends with some of the many interesting, generous, and knowledgeable people who call it home. Thanks to his connections, we enjoyed an excellent history tour of the French Quarter, a home-cooked Gumbo dinner with a professional chef, a guided walk in the bayou where we learned about Pirate Jean LaFitte and the formation of land in the gulf, and the chance to be inside a Mardi Gras float den where we climbed up onto some of the floats and learned all about krewes. Whew. What a resource. We are forever grateful for all the work he did to create authentic and meaningful learning experiences for all of us. You are awesome, Adam!
We knew we'd have a great time in New Orleans when Val's nephew, Adam, came riding up on his bicycle wearing Grandpa's fedora and sporting heart-shaped shades. A native of Nebraska (note the rental van's license plate--our little sign of good luck and NOLA magic), Adam has lived in the Big Easy now for several years and has made friends with some of the many interesting, generous, and knowledgeable people who call it home. Thanks to his connections, we enjoyed an excellent history tour of the French Quarter, a home-cooked Gumbo dinner with a professional chef, a guided walk in the bayou where we learned about Pirate Jean LaFitte and the formation of land in the gulf, and the chance to be inside a Mardi Gras float den where we climbed up onto some of the floats and learned all about krewes. Whew. What a resource. We are forever grateful for all the work he did to create authentic and meaningful learning experiences for all of us. You are awesome, Adam!
The other end of the Mississippi...
Enter Tree: Racon"tour" Guide Extraordinaire
Adam's Friend and Most Excellent Tour Guide
Adam's Friend and Most Excellent Tour Guide
Tree is a licensed tour guide who gives a wide variety of tours in city. Ours was the Voodoo-themed tour, chosen because the students had an intense curiosity about this subject and requested we learn more about it while in New Orleans. Tree was the man for the job. He had extensive knowledge about the origins of Voodoo and its practice throughout the history of the city. His animated style and depth of knowledge made his storytelling rich and memorable. We were kept on our toes as he darted around the French Quarter starting from Jackson Square and ending in St. Louis Cemetery #1--the oldest in New Orleans. Along the way we enjoyed hand-drawn lanyards of Voodoo symbols, a refreshing icy drink under the hot sun in the Quarter, feather boas as a festive surprise, and a cool pineapple snack on our trek to the cemetery--not to mention countless history lessons about Voodoo and much, much more!
Day 2--Oak alley plantation and Audubon aquarium of the americas
Day two started with an hour-long drive out of New Orleans up River Road as we made our way to the first of two planned plantation tours: Oak Alley Plantation. As we were nearing the site, the students in the van began to recognize the area from movies they had recently seen about slavery: Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave. This was the focus as we entered the big house at Oak Alley and began our tour. Our guide highlighted the features of the home and its furniture and told us some details about the former owners and inhabitants of the house. She did mention that the house had been built with slave labor, but that was about the only mention of the countless workers whose sweat and blood was the backbone of this massive property. Once the house tour was over, we were free to explore the grounds including the neatly placed slave home replicas positioned three on each side along a path leading to the gift shop and tour bus stop. Needless to say, this was incredibly disappointing and we wondered why such a tour was allowed to continue to this day. We asked if the two recently-made slavery movies had been filmed here and the guide told us they were not shot on this property, but were indeed filmed just a few properties back. We had plans to tour a second plantation after our lunch at the B & C Restaurant, but we were so unimpressed with the first that we were hesitant to commit to another. Instead, we enjoyed a long lunch of boiled craw fish, alligator burgers, sweet tea and other southern favorites before heading back downtown to tour the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.