Domestic Trips for 2011
The American Civil War
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR – WALKING SACRED GROUND
We will explore the events that tore the United States in half and learn how it came back together. This trip is an opportunity to walk the ground where America bled as it irrevocably came to grips with the words of the Declaration of Independence, “that all men are created equal” and “whether any nation, so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure.” Slavery was the root cause of the war. Courage, folly, love of comrades, sacrifice and love of country are the other themes that run throughout the Civil War. We will start by following the path of John Brown to Harpers Ferry, where his failed vision of a Slave Insurrection left the Slave states ready to secede after the election of Abraham Lincoln. The next day we go to Manassas/Bull Run to learn about courage and folly. We’ll see how two green armies and the country learned that the war would mean death, ugliness and no quick end. We spend the next four days in Gettysburg, walking some of the most sacred ground in America. We’ll experience Devil’s Den, Little Round Top, the Peach Orchard and Cemetery Ridge. We’ll walk Pickett’s Charge as Confederates and then relive it as Union soldiers, waiting for the approaching enemy. We’ll learn what it was like for the civilians to be surrounded by battle. We’ll visit the new Visitors Center, the Cyclorama, and the National Cemetery where Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address. We finish with a day in Washington, D.C. visiting sites associated with the Civil War, including Ford’s Theater and Arlington Cemetery. On our way to the Lincoln Memorial we will visit the Viet Nam Memorial and reflect on how America was torn apart again by that conflict. We end at the Lincoln Memorial, focusing on Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and its call for reconciliation along with Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and its vision for America. The students will be challenged to articulate their vision for America through the prism of their Winterim experience.
Note: The trip will involve considerable walking, at times over uneven terrain. Students will be outdoors during most of the day and it is likely to be cold.
Enrollment: 8-10
Leaders: Ron Silver (OES parent) and TBA
Cost: $1600
Dates: March 10-March 18, 2011 (Note, that will be one day into US Spring Vacation)
Summer Contact: Ron Silver can be reached at 503-643-6952 (home) or (503) 727-1044 (office) if you have any questions.
Dogsledding
Travel with us to Northern Minnesota to enjoy an experience unlike any other. We will spend four days on the lakes and trails of the Boundary Waters, driving two-person sleds with a team of four to five Inuit dogs each. Experienced guides will provide hands-on training on the first day, and then you will handle your own team of dogs, including feeding and harnessing them every morning. We will stay in lakeside lodges each night, where you can relax by the fire and enjoy fabulous meals that are prepared by the resident chef. There will be a chance to try snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and a Finnish sauna. We will also pay a visit to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, to observe and learn about the native timber wolves. Get ready for an amazing experience, and prepare to fall in love with dogsledding!
Leaders:
Cost: approximately $1700
Enrollment: 8-12 students by September 14, 2010
Dates: March 11th-16th, 2011
