Recently, our 8th grade Crusaders in English I Honors and World Geography Honors participated in a field trip as a culminating activity for their semester-long study of coastal erosion challenges and protection strategies.
The first stop of this journey was the LA River Studies facilities on LSU Baton Rouge's River Campus, hosted by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). In addition to interactive displays outlining the history of land loss and the current projects to prevent future loss, the facility features a large model of the lower Mississippi River that is used by LSU students and hydrology engineers to study the effects of river flooding as well as to anticipate land gain through the implementation of sediment diversions.
The students also toured two exhibits at the nearby Louisiana Art and Science Museum in downtown Baton Rouge: the planet exhibit area and Omniglobe as well as the "In Empathy We Trust" photo/art exhibit that asks viewers to rethink their understanding of culture and power based on modified depictions of figures in famous European paintings. This field experience is an example of Brother Martin's commitment to Catholic social teaching of care for God's creation and to making learning relevant to the lives of our students.