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Exploration Week Offerings for 2008
Download the Exploration Week
Offerings 2008 printable brochure. 
Overnight Trips
Desert
Ecology & the Night Sky
Tucson, Arizona
Students will explore the ecology of the Sonoran Desert as we hike through
Saguaro National Park and the Catalina Mountains of southern Arizona. At
night students will also begin to learn to navigate the night sky, including
a visit to the National Observatories at Kitt Peak. We hope to gain greater
appreciation of the diversity, adaptability, and interdependence of living
organisms and their environment while also gaining an appreciation for our
place in the universe. We'll have a week of seeing beautiful things both
on and off the earth.
Rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina
New Orleans, Louisiana
Be part of a delegation of Gann students working for a week in the New Orleans
area. You will be part of work crews that will help to rebuild houses and neighborhoods
for victims of Hurricane Katrina. You will meet with various constituencies
and learn first hand about the difficulties of families in the devastated areas. The
Gann delegation will also spend Shabbat in New Orleans and meet members of
the Jewish community. Participants must be 16 by the time of the trip. Participants
will need to attend training workshops and will be asked to raise money to
be donated directly to victims while we are in New Orleans. Those interested
in being a part of the Gann delegation will need to submit an application and
schedule an interview with the trip coordinators.
Habitat for Humanity – Maryland
Frederick,
MD
Participate in a Habitat for Humanity build project in Frederick, MD. ‘Habitat
for Humanity is an ecumenical housing ministry that seeks to eliminate
homelessness and substandard housing by making decent affordable shelter
a matter of conscience and action for all people.’ Be part of a crew
that will aid in the building of a home for a low-income family in need of
adequate shelter. Learn how to increase public awareness about people living
without shelter in the United States.
Heifer International – Overlook Farm
Rutland, MA
“Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and
he eats for life.”
Heifer
International strives to do both. Heifer International provides animals to
impoverished families world wide. With these animals, they also provide training,
as well as no-interest loans, to achieve sustainable agriculture production.
At their learning centers, students will experience working examples of the
type of sustainable agriculture Heifer supports around the world, tend an
organic garden, assist in the gentle care and treatment of livestock. Participants
engage in a journey of personal growth as they learn about Heifer's mission,
poverty and hunger and caring for the earth.
Dogsledding, Cross Country Skiing, and Winter Camping with Mahoosuc
Guides
Newry,
ME
Participate in an extraordinary winter camping, cross country skiing, and
dog sledding adventure. You will combine Jewish learning with challenging,
experiential outdoor pursuits through this unique opportunity to explore one’s
Jewish inheritance and develop outdoor skills, as well as to meet new challenges
while creating community. No prior experience or special skills are needed.
Sailing
Annapolis, MD
Come
aboard a yacht for the week and learn to Sail! We have chartered a boat in
Annapolis and hired a Captain to teach a group of students how to travel on
the water. Students on this trip will be able to map their own route for the
week and choose where on the Chesapeake Bay they would like to drop anchor.
The group will spend Shabbat on the boat and have the opportunity to learn
how Jewish law is enacted on the water.
Please note: (1) There will not be enough students for a minyan on this
trip. (2) No experience or special skills required.
Civil
Rights Journey
Atlanta, GA through Memphis, TN
Students
will learn about the struggles of African Americans to gain equality in the
1950s & 60s as well as discover how Jews were involved in the Civil Rights
struggle. We will also delve into the creation of Rock and Roll and how this
helped break down the walls of segregation. The students will walk away understanding
why Jews, as a people who have known oppression, must care and act when others
are oppressed.
Chasidut at its Best
Brooklyn,
NY
Enjoy home hospitality and hamish food in the ultra-orthodox communities
of New York. Experience daily life in strict observance of Jewish Law through
the lens and guidance of Rabbinics teacher, Moshe Lieberman.
Full Day Trips
Creative
Writing Workshop
This option is designed to stimulate, through a variety of sensory and intellectual
experiences, students’ artistic side. Students will be responsible for
writing either one poem a day or one prose piece every other day. Students
will spend part of each day on an excursion with their teacher and one of the
other Exploration Week groups (such as art museum, Drumlin Farm, tikkun
olam site, walk by the river). At the end of the workshop, students will
also give a public reading of their work. This offering is open to students
in grades 9—12.
Fencing
Zeta
Fencing Studio in Natick offers a high quality fencing program designed to
appeal to students of varying capabilities and interests. The class will
introduce students to the basics of foil, epee and sabre fencing in a safe
environment and with a high student-to-coach ratio. The program emphasizes
sportsmanship and personal growth, and includes conditioning, footwork, drills,
tactics, electric scoring fencing and individual lessons daily. The students
will be coached by Zoran Tulum, President and Head Coach at the ZFS and is
assisted by experienced national and Olympic coaches from the US and Europe.
Zoran Tulum is the former coach of Harvard and Stanford University and has
coached many champions and both US National and Olympic teams. This offering
is open to students in grades 9—12.
Glass Blowing
This
experience will include three full days of classes at the Diablo Glass & Metal
studio in which students will have a hands-on introduction to the arts of Flameworking
and Glass Blowing. We will start with one-day in the flameworking studio in
which the hands-on instruction will cover all the basics of shaping colorful
glass over the flame of a stationary propane/oxygen torch. Through periodic
demonstrations followed by plenty of practice time, we will create glass pendants,
beads, marbles, small vessels and sculptures. Then, students will move on to
the hot shop for two days where they will learn the basic skills of blowing
glass from the furnace. Instructors will guide beginners through gathering
molten glass on the end of a blowpipe, shaping it and blowing it to create
simple vessels and solid paperweights. We will wrap up the week with a day-trip
to the famed Sandwich Glass Museum and then a presentation to fellow exploration
participants. Lisa Nussbaum, a Gann math teacher and an experienced glass blower,
will accompany students in this offering, which is open to students in grades
9—12.
Tikkun Olam – Writing & Drawing Another’s Story
The
artist studio will be collaborating with the Jewish Community Housing for the
Elderly in Brighton for this art/writing project. Students will meet with members
or former members of John Lobosco’s art class at JCHE. The art class
members are elderly (75-95 years old) and mainly from the former Soviet Union
and China. All but one member lives in the apartment community which is financially
supported by various Jewish philanthropies. Gann students will spend one day
interviewing and drawing portraits of the JCHE class members. The remaining
days will be used to make a small book that will include a handmade print (monoprint
or block print) and a corresponding poem or story about the HCHE member (preferably
a hand print-not computer made). Multiple copies will be made so that all participants
and organizations receive a copy. Gann students will have interactions with
people who have lived in harsh cultural conditions (the Cultural Revolution,
Stalin, and Communism in general), although most of them were urban professionals
(surgeons, architects, professors etc.).
Requirements: Students should have experience drawing
from observation (including portraiture), advanced writing skills, and the
ability to talk comfortably with unfamiliar people. This
trip will be limited to 8 students, grades 9-12.
Living
on the Edge
Commune with nature, test your limits and embrace a challenge. Learn
rock climbing, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. We will be Boston
based except for an overnight in New Hampshire. We will be developing
skills around team work, trust building, cold weather first aid, wilderness
survival, and wilderness travel. Be prepared to carry a heavy pack, work
hard and have a lot of fun. So pack your sleeping bag, get the panoramic setting
on your camera ready to go, make a batch of trail mix, and belay on!
Literacy Program – Ohrenberger School
This
year Gann will continue to develop our relationship with the Ohrenberger
School in West Roxbury. Students will have the opportunity to work with elementary
school students on their reading skills, as well as their general study and
learning skills. As preparation for the hands on work, Gann students will work
closely with faculty to develop talent and aptitude in regard to one-on-one
tutoring ability. Continue the tradition of connecting to the Ohrenberger School,
and to the larger Boston community.
Animal Rights
“In
his book Animal Liberation, Peter Singer states that the basic principle
of equality does not require equal or identical treatment; it requires
equal consideration.” The Animal Rights program will explore
what considerations are appropriate for us to make regarding our treatment
towards animals. We will discuss opinions such as “Jeremy Bentham, the
founder of the reforming utilitarian school of moral philosophy, stated that
when deciding on a being’s rights, “The question is not ‘Can
they reason?’ nor ‘Can they talk?’ but ‘Can they suffer?’” Hands
on demonstrations, relief work, and site visits will include the MSPCA (Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Mass Audobon Society, and
the Mass Animal Rights Coalition (MARC).
Interfaith Boston
Discover
the many other religious beliefs, customs, and sanctuaries, which complete
the spiritual and religious spectrum that makes up the Boston community. Are
there similarities that the different outlooks share? Students should expect
to meet with Priests, Rabbis, Imam, and other spiritual leaders to discuss
issues surrounding faith, religion, and different ways of worship. In
addition, visits to Churches, Mosques, and other places of worship will occur.
The program will also include engagement with other teenagers and their experiences,
beliefs, and interaction as conscious members of the world interested in discussing
differences and similarities between faiths.
Theater Buffs
Back
by popular demand you will spend a week immersed in the world of drama. Students
will attend theater performances in and around the Boston area, will take a
day trip to New York, read plays and screenplays, and critique what they have
seen and read. Led and taught by Abby Shapiro, this offering is open to students
in grades 9—12.
Girls and Boys Lacrosse
Learn
more about one of the oldest and fastest growing sports. Lacrosse, a sport
dating back to the 1400s, was played by hundreds sometimes thousands of players
at once with the game lasting sometimes three days with goals miles apart.
Lacrosse was used as a vehicle to settle conflict and heal. The game and the
technology have since evolved, but the themes of competition, collaboration,
community, and spirituality are still very much part of the fabric of the sport.
Varsity Boys and Girl's Lacrosse Coaches Gracie and Rik Alcid will return as
our scholar athletes in residence to teach the fundamentals and strategies
of the sport while focusing on team building, leadership training, and community
service. Students, both new and returning, will have opportunity to learn and
improve their games. The course is open to all levels (never played before
to the experienced), all grades (seniors, it's never too late), and both young
men and women. Have fun, learn more, and build new relationships. It's a great
opportunity for returning players to improve their game before the season and
for new students to test drive a great sport.
Krav Maga
Learn self-defense, IDF style. Krav Maga is the official self defense system
of the Israeli Defense Forces. It has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement
agencies and is the preferred system of self defense for the US military. Unlike
some other martial arts, the intense, allover body workout is short on ceremony
and heavy on practical fighting techniques
Exploration University
One
of the options for our students this year is Exploration University (EU). EU
will be set up in a college model, wherein students will be able to choose
from a variety of seminars offered. The University schedule below shows how
the day is divided. There will be two seminar block times during the day and
EU students will choose a seminar for each block. Courses limiting the number
of student sign ups will be filled on first come first served basis according
to registration forms.
Seminar Goals
We hope that seminars offered by the faculty will
- have a “hands on” feel,
- delve into a subject/activity not covered in the normal academic/art/athletic
classroom, and
- have a tangible reminder of the time spent in the seminar: i.e. a project
that is taken home, a book, journal, photographs, etc.
Block One Seminars
Beauty & the Sea
Gardening & Tikkun Olam
Israeli Tour
Pinhole Photography
Ceramics
Fictionalized History
DIY: Cardboard Furniture
Stained Glass
Origami
Israeli Music
Seven Habits |
Block Two Seminars
Instant A Cappela
Piñatas y Artesanía
Storytelling
Gannopedia
The Press Box
Israeli Dance Leadership
Stained Glass
Where art meets math
Photography
Gann goes Biotech
Art & Science of Pitching |
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