Image © Don Bartletti

In-Depth on Immigration: CA Launches Single-Topic Intensive Study

Colorado Academy is launching a new, intensive study program for Upper School freshmen, designed to provide a weeklong opportunity for more in-depth learning about a particular topic. The curricular-based study will take place from January 29 through February 5, 2018, and allow students to take part in real-world and real-time study. The Upper School has selected the topic of immigration for this inaugural year and will use Sonia Nazario’s national best-seller Enrique’s Journey as the central text.

The book describes the true story of a Honduran boy who searches for his mother, more than a decade after she is forced to leave her starving family to work in the U.S.

The book is required reading for students in Ninth Grade English, and it provides a gateway to study, conversation, and investigation into the multitude of topics raised, including immigration policy, border conflicts, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and refugees.

Ninth Grade students will sign up for in-town or out-of-town programs designed by CA faculty members that offer a deep dive into the historical issues, larger policy questions, legal implications, and individual stories of people directly affected.

This innovative program is part of CA’s ongoing effort to find opportunities for in-depth inquiry and study combined with real-world experiences. One of the programs offered will include a trip to El Paso, Texas, across the US/Mexican border from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. Says Upper School Principal Dr. Jon Vogels, “I am very excited about what this new intensive program will add to the overall learning environment of the Ninth Grade year. In the end, we are motivated to help students answer the following overarching questions: How might we, as students and U.S. citizens, learn more about the many aspects of immigration history and current policy in this country? How can we be more informed about the issues and seek to better understand through authentic experience the multiple points of view on this topic?”

Students will wrap up the project in early February with demonstrations of their learning.