News & Views
New Canaan Country School Fifth Graders Present Multi-Visual Showcase of Lewis & Clark Expedition
New Canaan Country School fifth graders invited parents, teachers and younger students to an experiential simulation of the Lewis & Clark Expedition on Feb. 16 as a culmination of their social studies unit. The students created an array of hand-made visual displays, short speeches and essays to showcase the Corps of Discovery Expedition. Visitors were invited to follow the trail of tables sequenced in a loose timeline to represent the expedition across the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase, and explore important stops along the way. Guests also crossed a suspension bridge contributed by ninth-grade woodshop students which served as the Gateway to the West.
“I wanted to really highlight that the fort was made of wood; cottonwood lumber actually, from the riverbank – these really big logs – to help everyone realize how cold that might have been, and difficult to make,” explained fifth-grader Hudson Burr of New Canaan, who created a diorama of Fort Mandan out of popsicle sticks as a replica of the encampment that the Lewis and Clark Expedition built for wintering over in 1804–1805. “Temperatures got down to below freezing and many of the people on the expedition got frostbite.”
“This is the perfect opportunity to integrate our social studies, reading and writing curricula, while also celebrating students’ creativity,” said Grade 5 Teacher Wendy Root, who together with Grade 5 Teachers Andrew Bevan and Fay Venetsanos, and Apprentice Teachers Caroline Aronowitz, Kat Norton, and Clay Kontulis, led their classes through the unit. “Witnessing the students’ excitement as they share their knowledge and projects with visitors makes all their hard work worthwhile.”
New Canaan Country School
New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.
