On the majority of our trips, Link staff and students can be found venturing deep into the backcountry.
This fall’s academic program has centered around the Depression Era and Dust Bowl. In social studies, students are reading The Worst Hard Time and developing a comprehensive understanding of the Dust Bowl. In English, students are currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird (I/II) and In Dubious Battle (I/IV), both novels set in the early 1930s. And in history, students have studied local history leading up to the Great Depression.
This year’s Denver trip was unique as we extended the trip by a day and traveled far east to Dalhart, Texas and Boise City, Oklahoma, two of the hardest hit locations during the Dust Bowl. Students witnessed first hand effects of ranching, farming, and drought on the region and observed ways that the Dust Bowl has permanently altered the landscape. We also visited the local XIT Museum and the Cimarron Heritage Center, which house artifacts from the Dust Bowl, including a dug out home that housed a family of six!
On Monday, we drove back to Denver and visited the History Colorado Center to tour exhibits on the Dust Bowl, the Sand Creek Massacre – an event that English III/IV students learned about while reading There There this fall – and the 10th Mountain Division.
After their morning of service, the students switched academic gears from historical landmarks to the arts. As this trip is one of the few opportunities where we can bring the arts into our curriculum, visiting the Denver Art Museum has been a staple in the Denver experience. While there, we started with a group walk through of the “All Stars: American Artists from The Phillips Collection”. The museum provided audio devices programed to give detailed information and analysis of selected pieces within the exhibit. Many of us who had been to DAM in the past commented on the use of music throughout the exhibit, which was a beautiful new feature that drew rhetorical connections between visual and audio art.
After the first exhibit, students explored the museum independently, visiting exhibits that most interested them. Prior to the trip, students learned about tones and themes in literature during the depression era, and at the museum they were encouraged to look for parallels between the art and what they’ve been reading in class as they explored. Many of us enjoyed the exhibit “Soul of Black Folk” by Amaoko Baofo, inspired by civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois. Walking through the Indigenous Arts of North America left some of us in awe of the monumental poles that towered two stories. An interactive exhibit called “Space Command” also captured a lot of attention. One of the students, aware of my interest in Asian culture, made sure I saw his favorite piece in the Japanese weaponry section.
We wrapped up the trip with a visit to Denver’s renowned independent Tattered Cover Bookstore. This is a trip tradition and something we all look forward to.
As we prepared to depart, one student commented on the generosity of Link donors who enabled us
A huge thank you to all our donors and supporters who make trips like these an inspired reality. Happy holidays to all!
-Ariana Stevens, English Teacher