Jersey City's Learning Community Charter School (LCCS) is pleased to announce the eighth grade class' first capstone project, a trip to key sites of the Civil Rights Movement during the last week of March. This tour will deepen students' understanding of American history through direct engagement with landmarks and figures from across the South who played pivotal roles in the American Historical Movement.
The four-day trip includes visits to the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing site, a living lesson for students who participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and other chapters of the civil rights struggle. They are all in the background.
Students also have the opportunity to speak with individuals who have witnessed this history, including those who faced violence during marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and activists who endured the brutality of police dogs and water hoses during peaceful protests. You will have .
LCCS Principal Colin Hogan highlighted the value of this experience, saying: “We are proud to offer this opportunity to our eighth grade students. At Learning Community Charter School, our commitment to learning goes beyond the traditional classroom and our students gain a deeper appreciation for our country's ongoing fight for civil rights that remains unfinished to this day. “This trip is part of our effort to provide students with an understanding and appreciation of our shared American history through hands-on learning from the people and places that shaped this country.”
To ensure that all students can participate, LCCS ensures that students who qualify for free and reduced lunch pay only one-third of the cost, and struggling families receive an additional discount. Some students generously paid more than they needed to, making prices much more affordable for students in need. LCCS reaffirmed its commitment to making these experiences available to all students by covering any remaining balances.
“I’m really excited to see what we’ve learned in social studies class,” said Lauryn Bunales, an 8th grade student at LCCS. She said, “It is the opportunity of a lifetime to hear the stories of people who actually lived the civil rights movement.”
Upon their return, students will complete a community service requirement to develop and deliver a presentation that goes beyond a travel log. These presentations are designed based on defined learning objectives and outcomes and should be directly linked to one of LCCS' core values. In doing so, they play an important role in conveying to young learners and the wider community the ongoing significance of this historical journey and ongoing efforts to achieve equality.
Learning Community Charter School hopes this trip will have a lasting impact on students, hoping to inspire deeper empathy, understanding, and responsibility for the fight for civil rights and social justice.
For more information about Learning Community Charter School, visit www.lccsnj.org.