Germantown Academy sixth graders screen-printed tote bags at a Philadelphia museum this school year. Seventh graders walked the sites where the American Revolution took shape. Eighth graders watched themselves flash across a jumbotron at a nearly empty Baltimore ballpark.
The Fort Washington private school published a recap July 24, detailing how each Middle School grade traveled to destinations connected to what students were studying in class.
Sixth grade: Philadelphia
Sixth graders visited the Fabric Workshop and Museum on Arch Street and the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center. The museum stop connected to a printmaking unit in art class, and each student screen-printed a tote bag to bring home. At Fairmount Water Works, students explored Philadelphia's urban watershed, reinforcing lessons on water conservation covered in both science and English.
Seventh grade: Boston and Salem
Seventh graders traveled to Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, on a trip aligned with their history curriculum on early American life. Students visited Plimoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth, Boston's Old State House, and the Old South Meeting House. The itinerary covered the Salem Witch Trials, Pilgrim and Wampanoag life, and Boston's role in the Revolutionary War.
The school said a nighttime harbor cruise through Boston was the highlight for many students.
Eighth grade: Washington, D.C.
Eighth graders visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, reinforcing their history coursework. The school described those stops as "especially meaningful" and said they encouraged students to reflect on civil rights and the Holocaust.
The D.C. trip also serves as a send-off for students finishing middle school, mixing academics with group activities. This year's group attended an Orioles baseball game in Baltimore. Rain forced a schedule change, moving the game to a different day. The payoff: a nearly empty stadium, prime seats, and the GA students featured on the jumbotron between almost every inning because they were the largest group in the ballpark.
