8th Grade Freedom Trail Field Trip
By Evelyn Crowley, Zihan Zhou, and Naomi Gee-Burko
On November 7th, the 8th grade went on the Freedom Trail, guided by English teacher Mr. Mazen Abdallah. When he’s not in school, Mr. Abdallah works as a tour guide for the trail. The 8th graders and chaperones, Ms. Hannah Schafer and Mr. Esteban Juarez, were amazed by his knowledge and learned fascinating details about the American Revolution throughout the trip.
The 8th graders took the T from Copley Square to Boylston, utilizing the city as our campus. They went in-depth on the story of the Liberty Tree, the Boston Common, King’s Chapel, the Boston Massacre, and more. The 8th grade class even had the opportunity to explore the Old State House museum. This was a great experience to be immersed in the true history of Boston and learn crucial details about the historical events that occurred here.
In an interview with Mr. Abdallah, he explained that his favorite thing on the tour was “the reenactment of the Boston Massacre! It ended up being very fun (the student roleplaying as Edward Garrick was actually named Edward!) and it gave a great illustration of what happened that day. It was also a chance to feel like we were following in the footsteps of Boston's first settlers.”
The 8th graders learned much about the Boston Massacre and the American Revolution on this field trip, the current topic in 8th grade Individuals & Societies. The sights provided information about the propaganda associated with the revolution, like the depiction of the Boston Massacre under the statue of Columbia. They also saw artifacts from the time of the Boston Massacre at the Old State House Museum, such as a painting depicting what happened at the time.
Many 8th graders, such as Patrick McDonagh, enjoyed “the Old State House. [He] loved the architecture and the history behind the building, not to mention the fun exhibit.” In the museum, there were many interactive exhibits and things to look at, such as an exhibit where you could smell scents from the American Revolution. One favorite was a vote with pennies on whether the Boston Tea Party was justified or not, sparking fun debates and conversations.
One of the reasons they went on the Freedom Trail was our new integrated Individuals & Societies and Language & Literature classes. In Individuals & Societies, or Humanities, the 8th graders are learning about the American Revolution. Fortunately, because Newman is right in Boston–the heart of the Revolution–they got the privilege to explore real historical sites and artifacts from the war. In Language & Literature, or English, they are reading Animal Farm by George Orwell, and exploring the Stalinist Revolution in the Soviet Union.
On the field trip, they got to compare and contrast these two revolutions, spotting parallels between them. Mr Abdallah comments: “Both classes are currently understanding what drives people to rise up against a powerful government and what the consequences are often. This field trip allowed both classes to explore that idea and learn in real time about the causes and effects of revolutions.”
An anonymous 8th grader said that they “learned a lot about the American Revolution from the field trip,” showcasing the importance of our Freedom Trail walk.
Mr. Abdallah “wanted them to get a sense of how Boston was a lot like Manor Farm in Animal Farm; a community where different members adopted different roles and found ways to accomplish a common goal. The story of every revolution is the story of people uniting for a cause, and seeing how the actual revolution unfolded is a great way to see that point in real life. It was also a chance to see how these people who unite often aren't uniting as equals. America didn't allow everyone to vote at first, and this was analogous with Animal Farm.”
The Freedom Trail field trip was a fun way for students to spot parallels between novels and history, and spend time in the city of Boston. The 8th grade looks forward to many more excursions in our city later in the year!
