This five minute video documents the class of 2015 at Casco Bay High School for Expeditionary Learning in Portland, Maine who focused their junior year’s work on climate change. In the fall, they studied both the chemistry and the policy. In the spring, they began to consider the human side of things when their humanities teacher, Susan McCray, posed two questions. What is the power of story to effect change? How does a community sustain itself in the face of hardship? The students’ search for answers led them to a deep study of history, literature, documentary, and ultimately to Rockaway, NY, a community faced with hardship and recently devastated by the climate change induced Hurricane Sandy. The students became documentarians and volunteers, tasked with understanding and interpreting the stories of Rockaway’s residents who were displaced by the hurricane. In seeking to document, honor, and share the stories of others—through writing, photography, and film—each of the Casco Bay juniors discovered something important about themselves, all while exceeding the required Common Core Standards.
Source Organization: Expeditionary Learning