”
There is no better way to learn history than hearing it directly
from those who make it,
”
said Mount Madonna School teacher Ward Mailliard, creator of the
school’s Government in Action curriculum.
On May 16, Mailliard took his 11th and 12th grade students on an
11-day
”
learning journey
”
to Washington, D.C. to meet and interview people engaged in
public service as part of the School’s government studies
program.
By Leigh Ann Clifton, Special to the Dispatch
“There is no better way to learn history than hearing it directly from those who make it,” said Mount Madonna School teacher Ward Mailliard, creator of the school’s Government in Action curriculum.
On May 16, Mailliard took his 11th and 12th grade students on an 11-day “learning journey” to Washington, D.C. to meet and interview people engaged in public service as part of the School’s government studies program.
For high school students at Mount Madonna School, intentional forays into the world of local, state, even national politics are not new. For nearly three decades MMS teachers have educated students on complex political issues—through lecture, travel, discussion, and private interviews with some of the world’s leading thinkers. The D.C. trip is a culmination of the students’ Values in World Thought class. The class is part of a two-year program which engages students in thoughtful dialogue about the concepts and values that lead to a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Interviews thus far have included: Alyse Nelson, president and CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership; Layli Miller-Muro of the Tahirih Justice Center; Betty Hudson, executive vice president of communications for National Geographic; Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley, special representative for global partnerships; Leonard McCarthy, vice president for institutional integrity at the World Bank; Congresswoman Jackie Speier; Senator Bernie Sanders; and Congressman Jeff Flake.
Direct engagement in community service is also part of the students’ itinerary. They spent one morning working on projects arranged by The Pilgrimage, a service-oriented hostel where they are staying while in D.C. Junior Lindsay Connor says she and several classmates helped retired school teacher Vivian Adams with her daily chores and house cleaning; Junior Noah Limbach and others worked on park cleanup with the Washington Parks and People organization.
“[This group] works to restore run-down parks in the D.C. area,” Limbach said. “We worked in a park in a low-income neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. We were met by Benham, an Iranian immigrant who fled his country to avoid religious persecution due to his Baha’i faith. He told us about how Marvin Gaye Park had once been used as a garbage dump, and how it had earned the nickname Needles Park because of all the people who went there to shoot heroin. Seven years later, Marvin Gaye Park is much improved. It is now a beautiful and open space. Washington Parks and People runs an after school program in the park and is planning a sleep-over this Saturday night in the park for sixty children. They have also started a weekly Farmers Market so that there is fresh produce available to the people in the neighborhood. Before this, individuals had to take two buses to buy produce.”
During the trip, students will conduct interviews with other governmental and community leaders, including: Congressman John Lewis, Congressman Sam Farr, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Congressman Barney Frank; Ray Suarez, a veteran reporter for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Congressman Howard Berman, Congressman Alcee Hastings, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Congressman David Dreier, Stephen Rochon, the current and eighth White House Chief Usher (and a retired Coast Guard Rear Admiral), Reverend Mpho Tutu, an Episcopal priest and founder and executive director of the Tutu Institute for Prayer & Pilgrimage, Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issue; James Fallows, a journalist with The Atlantic Monthly; and Ben Chang, a spokesman with the National Security Council.
For more information on the program, visit MountMadonnaSchool.org/values. To follow the students, visit their blog at santacruzlive.com/blogs/mtmadonna.
