By Cecily Barnes
When school gets out this summer, five Argonaut fifth-graders will hop on a plane to Williamsburg, Virginia, to learn American history in the place it was made. Fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Hampton will accompany the students to help ease the time away from home and enhance the learning experience.
Organized by Educational Field Studies, the Williamsburg trip whisks students from Williamsburg to Jamestown to Yorktown in four days.
"Jamestown was the first English settlement, and Yorktown was the final battlefield of the Revolutionary War," Hampton explained.
Hampton feels this trip will give students an amazing opportunity to see and experience what they've been learning about American colonial history. And the kids will get to do a lot more than just look.
"At a plantation, they'll spend the day as slaves and slave owners. They'll learn some of the songs and get to do some of the chores, and then halfway through, they'll switch and sit and drink tea," Hampson explained.
The kids will also dress up in colonial clothing, do an archeological dig and visit restored ships.
"They get to get aboard remade ships that the first settlers came on and go into the captain's quarters. It's really exciting to see all the things that we talk about," Hampton said.
Eleven-year-old Nicole Justice is among the five Argonaut students going to Williamsburg this summer. Her mother, Debi, thinks it will not only be a great learning experience, but will give Nicole a chance to do something on her own.
"I think it's a good opportunity for her to gain independence, and it's a safe and supervised environment for her to do that," Debi Justice said. "For her, just getting away on her own is a big thrill."
Hampton is looking for more Argonaut fifth-graders to join the trip. They will leave on June 16 and return June 19. The cost of the trip is $950.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 15, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.