SIXTH GRADE TAKES OVER CAPE COD AND PIER I
Speyer's Sixth Grade have been in and out of 925 Ninth Avenue these past few weeks, diving into their Humanities and Sciences curriculum with trips far away and nearby!
First was the annual Sixth Grade Cape Cod Trip!With all of the details, we have the updates from the road from Ms. Meyer:
DAY ONE
We had a wonderful first day in Cape Cod! The buses got off before 8:00 AM and, after two brief stops, two DVDs, and many rounds of singing, we arrived at camp around 1:15 PM in good spirits.
First on the agenda was a meeting with the staff at Camp Wingate-Kirkland, cabin assignments, and a fire drill. Once the logistics were taken care of, the students were divided into field groups for outdoor challenge and team-building activities with the wonderful staff from Outdoor Classroom. Before dinner, there was some free time for Pickleball, basketball, tether ball, gaga, chess, reading, and card games. After dinner, all food waste was collected and weighed for the Ort Report, followed by evening activities that included team challenges geared toward promoting the Four Cs: Care, Communication, Courage, and Curiosity.
We all gathered for Evening Quiet Sing as a final activity before heading back to the cabins for the night. The guitar is strumming and the kids are singing as I write this. Looking forward to another great day tomorrow!
DAY TWO
The day dawned, bright and sunny. Despite the 7:00 AM wake up call, many of our students were up well before that, eager to start the day. Unfortunately, the Whale Watch was canceled, but luckily, we had an exciting back-up plan and the kids were in great spirits.
We loaded the buses with our day packs and lunches and headed to The National Seashore National Park and the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. After a visit to the museum and information center (where we saw an interesting movie about the coastline and whaling industry), our field guides took the kids out on the salt pond to observe and learn about this unique ecosystem. Students found three or four different species of crab, spotted numerous fish, birds, and interesting plants, and even found a snake skin.
After a picnic lunch, we went on a two-mile hike through the woods along the coastline. We climbed Doane Rock, had a treat, and finished the hike at Coast Guard Beach. We explored the dunes, and the kids had a blast playing on the beach. There was football, volleyball, and other catch games! There were sand castles, deep holes, seal sightings, bird watching, and card games!
Back at camp, we had dinner and celebrated Ingrid’s birthday with special Cape Cod cupcakes called Scottcakes. Mr. Coen had made the connection with Mr. Scott who owns the Scottcakes shop by the Whale Watch departure site. When Mr. Scott heard that we wouldn’t be going on the Whale Watch, he didn’t want us to also miss out on the cupcakes and Ingrid’s birthday celebration, so he personally drove an hour to meet us at the beach and deliver the Scottcakes! Thank you, Mr. Coen and Mr. Scott!
After dinner, we had free time before gathering around the camp fire to roast marshmallows and enjoy Evening Quiet Sing before bed. It was another beautiful day on the Cape!
DAY THREE
Day Three was a lovely ending to a great trip! After breakfast, we loaded up the bus and headed out to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, where students explored a 50% scale model of a 19th century whaling ship, admired the nation's largest collection of scrimshaw, and were able to study actual whaleship logbooks and journals from the 16th-19th century.
After lunch, we visited the Seamen's Bethel, which is the church Ishmael visits just before heading to Nantucket and out to sea in the famous whaling novel "Moby Dick". Herman Melville describes the church in detail, including the pulpit shaped as a ship's prow (which was actually added later to match Melville's description).
We wrapped up our trip with readings from "Moby Dick" and an acknowledgment of the tremendous legacy left by the seamen, whalers, writers, families, and workers of Cape Cod!
It was an amazing trip for our Sixth Graders — and special thanks to our wonderful chaperones: Mr. Thoren, Mr. Coen, Ms. Meyer, Mr. G, Ms. Koralewski, and Mr. Blackman!
After they returned, Sixth Grade trekked to our own coastline and participated in New York City's Billion Oyster Project, connecting classroom learning to real-world environmental work happening around our city. As part of their Coastal Resilience Unit, students explored how coastal communities, including projects near Staten Island, are using living shorelines and oyster reefs as natural barriers to help reduce erosion, absorb wave energy, and support healthier ecosystems.
Students first visited the Oyster Restoration Station (ORS) at Pier I in December, where they investigated biodiversity within the harbor and observed oysters in the Hudson River. On this trip, students revisited their same stations and compared changes over time. They analyzed how biodiversity shifted throughout the year, observed the growth of living oysters, and experienced firsthand how scientists monitor environmental change. Through this ongoing project, students saw how small organisms can have a major impact on strengthening coastlines and building more resilient communities!
