Featured Story
Faculty & Staff Embark on Civil Rights History Tour
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Over spring break, 12 faculty members, myself included, embarked on a journey to Georgia and Alabama for an in-depth study of civil rights history. The theme, “Who we are and who we want to become,” was our guide. Over the course of five days, our group traveled to Montgomery, Birmingham, Selma, and Atlanta. We visited museums and churches, met living witnesses of the history made in these places, and spent time reflecting on how the past relates to our lives. I was a trip leader along with Upper School Dean of Students Noel Thomas. We wanted to build an opportunity for St. Luke’s faculty and staff to connect to the past and to think about how their families’ histories might relate to what happened during the civil rights movement.
Over spring break, 12 faculty members, myself included, embarked on a journey to Georgia and Alabama for an in-depth study of civil rights history. The theme, “Who we are and who we want to become,” was our guide. Over the course of five days, our group traveled to Montgomery, Birmingham, Selma, and Atlanta. We visited museums and churches, met living witnesses of the history made in these places, and spent time reflecting on how the past relates to our lives. I was a trip leader along with Upper School Dean of Students Noel Thomas. We wanted to build an opportunity for St. Luke’s faculty and staff to connect to the past and to think about how their families’ histories might relate to what happened during the civil rights movement.
Two things made this trip special for me: The chance to learn about history on location and the opportunity to learn with colleagues, especially people in our community that I don’t interact with daily. It was powerful. We didn’t just learn about history and ourselves; we learned about each other.
One of the teachers on the trip, Middle School English Teacher Christine Hruska, joined because she “wanted to deepen [her] understanding of the civil rights movement through a supportive and mindful experience with colleagues.” “I came back from the trip a different person,” she said following the trip. “There was a subtle, yet important shift in me. I learned so much about myself through the daily journaling prompts and sharing opportunities we had together. I returned feeling a little restless (Could I do more?), inspired (In what ways can I plant seeds for civil rights discourse?), and perhaps somewhat evangelical, wanting to spread the word about this experience. I feel like I am a stronger educator from having learned so much on this trip, but more importantly, I think the experience made me a better human being.”
Hruska wasn’t the only person who returned to SLS moved by the experience. To share our experiences with the St. Luke’s community, trip participants used photographs we took on the trip and personal reflections we crafted to create an exhibition in the Class of 2019 Art Gallery. Thank you to Upper School Art Teacher Jeorge Yankura, Middle School designLab Chair Kimberly Gerardi, and Audio-Visual Specialist Bryan DeVissiere for the support and design of this display. If you get a chance to visit, be sure to bring your earbuds, as we share our thoughts through audio recordings you can access on your phone.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
