Between visiting synagogues, going to museums, volunteering and more, the annual eighth grade trip to Atlanta and Alabama was a tiring but fun and educational experience according to eighth grade student Jake Forseter. The five-day trip began on Tuesday, May 13 with stops in Atlanta, Alabama and finally Camp Ramah Darom in Clayton, GA. The majority of the trip was focused on the Civil Rights Movement, with some Jewish aspects, including a Shabbaton at the end.
All CESJDS eighth grade students take a Civic Leadership class, and the trip was a way to culminate the year and learn more about leadership, according to Rachel Meytin, the Middle School Chair for Experiential Education and Service Learning. For example, students visited the Martin Luther King Memorial, the Rosa Parks Museum and Library and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
After their two-hour flight to Atlanta, the eighth grade visited The Temple, Atlanta’s oldest synagogue, founded in 1867. At The Temple, students participated in discussions about Judaism and antisemitism in America.
“When we were interviewing people at the Temple they were talking about their experiences with the civil rights movement and how it affected them, which was very interesting,” Forseter said.
After spending the first half of the trip focused on educational sites, the eighth grade headed to Camp Ramah Darom for the last two days for a Shabbaton. For sophomore Caleb Berman, one of the five high school chaperones on the shabbaton, it was nice to be on the flip side of where he was two years ago. He appreciated how passionate the kids were, especially on Saturday when they participated in color war.
“They all seemed like they were having a ton of fun,” Berman said. “They were all singing songs, really getting into Kabbalat Shabbat, and for color war especially. They all were very devoted to color war and you could really just feel the passion on both sides.”
The eighth grade students arrived at Camp Ramah Darom on Friday afternoon, and after davening, dinner and some free time, went to bed. On Saturday after various prayer options, the grade participated in color war, which was split up into four different activity blocks along with some other group activities. After Havdalah Saturday night students went back to the bunks and the grade flew back to Maryland Sunday afternoon.
Rachel Meytin, the Middle School Chair for Experiential Education and Service Learning, believes the hands-on aspect of the trip really helps the students retain the information they learn.
“The trip is so visual and immersive, that I feel like you can understand it [history] before then, but you’re not feeling it before then,” Meytin said.
For Forseter, the best parts of the trip were the educational aspects, where the grade was able to learn and build upon previous knowledge. He also enjoyed the time spent with friends and believes it was a great way for the grade to prepare for high school together next year.
“I think we definitely bonded,” Forseter said. “We spent a lot of time together. Everyone was always talking to each other, and we got to hang out a lot more than we normally do. And the groups for everything changed every day, so you really got to talk to everyone, which was nice. I think just being so close to everyone all the time really bonded us as a community.”
