LFA field trips continue after hiatus

Ela Jain and Tanya Ganesh

Recently, Lake Forest Academy has been taking steps to return to the typical curriculum-based events, especially in terms of field trips. Three educational trips were taken to the Navajo Nation, Seattle, and the Field Museum of Chicago, where students learned firsthand about the subject material that they have been studying all year. 

The Human Rights class traveled to Arizona, spending their spring break to explore and provide assistance to the Navajo nation, one of the largest Native American tribes. Students got to learn about Navajo culture, explore museums, help the community around the house, and observe flea markets. They learned to chop wood, sweat lodge, and even learned some of the traditional Navajo language. Mariana Quiroz 22’ reflected on her experience, saying that “it is important to learn about each other, and this sense of community was something unlike anything I’ve seen before…I know everyone that went, learned something worth doing.” Sam Wold, the teacher of the Human Rights class explained, “(The goal was) to help out different members of the Navajo nation… we got there and asked what help they needed, and we would go to places that needed assistance.” Native American tribes are where some of the worst atrocities have been committed, and the human rights class was able to connect what they studied to the Navajo people’s real life experiences.

Human Rights class poses in front of the Grand Canyon. (Photo by Wold)

Similarly, The AP Environmental Science class traveled to Lake Crescent National Park in Washington over spring break. Lake Crescent is a beautiful lake nestled in the middle of a national forest preserve, known for its exceptionally blue waters. Adriana Fernandez ‘22 conveyed her excitement about how the experience added to her learning in the course over the year, saying, “Overall, we got a lot of hands on experience from what we had been learning in class, being able to see it first hand and apply your knowledge makes the class so much more interesting.” The class got to perform science experiments on the lake water, explore the Tempa rainforest, Glines Canyon, and learn and contribute to restoration projects. They were able to hike to some beautiful places, and canoe along the lake. Kevin Hagan, teacher of APES, concluded, “I hope the students took away that we are just part of something bigger.”

APES class walks through the forests in Lake Crescent National Park. (Photo by Hagan)

The AP World History class took a trip to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where they delved deeper into the curriculum by observing primary sources and artifacts, in which they conducted a scavenger hunt to efficiently explore the museum. The Field Museum was created in 1893, and has since been known as one of the most impressive museums in America, boasting over 24 million specimens and objects. Carla Accogoli ‘24 talked about her experience, saying that she was “able to study and review for the exam, but at the same time have fun through this interactive preparation.” AP World History teacher Jessica Gimbel explained her thoughts on the trip, “It’s fun to see (students) outside of the classroom, in a less rigid setting… that’s where the best memories are made.” 

Overall, the experience of the students and teachers after a drought of field trips at LFA have been positive, serving a well-needed break for the busy student body before AP Exam and finals season.