The Children's House

 Our journey to Detroit started bright and early. As we drove our school vans into the city, we made memories that will last a lifetime. When we finally arrived after the vigorous drive, we headed straight to the DIA. We got to take in meaningful art and creations while reflecting on the pieces we loved. We described what we saw, thought, and wondered about five pieces in five different, unique exhibits. This truly helped us break down the art and gain a deeper understanding of it. After the DIA, we went to Meijer and got our food for the week! Soon after, we ended our day at the tasty Bucharest Grill.

On day two, we had a slow morning that we enhanced with a fresh variety of bagels, and many indulged in warm tea. After the morning meeting, we ventured over to the Charles M. Wright Museum. This museum taught us all about African American history. Our lovely tour guide, Ja-tu, not only took us through a museum but also took us through a story. The rooms and makeshift town really made us feel deeply about this topic and truly opened our eyes to history. After the museum, we had a lovely picnic-like lunch at Lasalle Park. After filling ourselves with delicious sandwiches, we ventured to the Motown Museum. Here, we learned almost everything about Motown and truly dived deeply into this topic. We even got the opportunity to stand in the studio where famous Motown artists such as the Temptations and Stevie Wonder once sang. After learning the Temptations walk, we headed back to the hostel to relax before the Detroit Pistons game.

When we arrived at the Detroit Pistons game, we found our seats and got Detroit style pizza and other flavorful food items. After we munched on our food, the basketball was tipped, and the game began. We were all very hyped and having the time of our lives, and, of course, the goal is to get on the Megatron; we achieved that goal 14 times!! Thank you to the guides for putting up with our shenanigans!

Now, day three was upon us. We started our day full of learning at the Ford River Rouge Plant. We got to watch two very interesting presentations; one about history and the second all about how to build an F-150. Everyone really enjoyed the elaborate presentation on the step-by-step process of how to build the Ford F-150. After, we walked through the manufacturing and assembly lines. Our wonderful tour guides helped show us all the cool tools and machines that are used. After we left the plant, we enjoyed lunch at the Michigan Central Station. We got to go inside and learn about the history. After our time at the station, we visited the famous Belle Isle. We got to see the oldest aquarium in the US and a beautiful conservatory. After seeing all the types of fish, we headed downtown to look at all the monuments and learn more about the history of our country. We explained our knowledge about the underground railroad and the Civil War. After our brief history lesson, we had dinner at the Detroit Shipping Co. After a wonderful dinner, we called it a night and headed home.    

Sadly, the fourth day had come, and it was time to head home. But first, we got to visit Greenfield Village. This village is a collection of historic houses founded by the Ford family. The village is basically a living outdoor museum.  Here, there is a famous working carousel, a farm, and a Model T drive. We got to ride a horse carriage, enjoy a carousel built in 1913, and even stand in Thomas Edison's famous laboratory. After another wonderful historical experience, we headed home in our vans.

Thank you so much to our guides and the school for letting us have this wonderful trip in Detroit!

Student Biographers: Ava and Gwendolyn
Student Photographers: by Olivia, Vaughn, Adrienne, and Hank