Thriving Together
John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men Inspires Ninth Grade Experiential Learning
In early January, the ninth grade took a day out of the classroom to watch Gary Sinise’s film adaptation of Of Mice and Men and then made its annual trek to the nineteenth-century Gainey barn where the movie was filmed. In the context of their American Decades English 9 course, students had been studying Steinbeck’s novel in the context in which it was written—the Great Depression and the 1930’s—and in reference to its characters’ desire for land, autonomy, and roots. In the barn, students acted out scenes from the novel and listened to history teacher Richard Nathan deliver a spirited reading of Robert Burns’ famous poem “To a Mouse,” from which the title of the novel is taken.
A few days after the field trip, Dr. Mimi Doohan (M.D. Stanford; Ph.D. UCSB), a physician, public health advocate, and champion of “street medicine,” made her annual visit to Laguna in the form of a special Thursday assembly for Grades 9 and 10. She spoke about Steinbeck-related themes of transience and vulnerability (as experienced by George and Lennie) but in the larger context of local and global issues of homelessness. This year, Dr. Mimi was joined by four members of the local nonprofit and homelessness advocacy group, Common Ground Santa Barbara. In partnership with the Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness, Common Ground is enlisting hundreds of volunteers to help with its annual Vulnerability Index Survey and Point in Time Count of those to whom they refer as “street friends.” Surveys will run in the early mornings of January 28 and 29 (to 5 to 8:30 a.m.).
Members of Common Ground said that they were thrilled and even honored to attend the assembly in order to explain the survey and the logistics of participation. Fourteen ninth and tenth graders will be participating with parent or teacher sponsors in this ambitious and exciting service learning opportunity.
IMAGES FROM FIELD TRIP
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A few days after the field trip, Dr. Mimi Doohan (M.D. Stanford; Ph.D. UCSB), a physician, public health advocate, and champion of “street medicine,” made her annual visit to Laguna in the form of a special Thursday assembly for Grades 9 and 10. She spoke about Steinbeck-related themes of transience and vulnerability (as experienced by George and Lennie) but in the larger context of local and global issues of homelessness. This year, Dr. Mimi was joined by four members of the local nonprofit and homelessness advocacy group, Common Ground Santa Barbara. In partnership with the Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness, Common Ground is enlisting hundreds of volunteers to help with its annual Vulnerability Index Survey and Point in Time Count of those to whom they refer as “street friends.” Surveys will run in the early mornings of January 28 and 29 (to 5 to 8:30 a.m.).
Members of Common Ground said that they were thrilled and even honored to attend the assembly in order to explain the survey and the logistics of participation. Fourteen ninth and tenth graders will be participating with parent or teacher sponsors in this ambitious and exciting service learning opportunity.
IMAGES FROM FIELD TRIP
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Laguna Blanca is Santa Barbara’s premier private, co-educational, college preparatory day school for students in Early Kindergarten through Grade 12.