Alannah O’Brien
17 March 2017
As Friday morning dawned, the Harvard team had to split up in order to visit two different elementary schools. One group talked to students at Austinville Elementary School, while the other half of the Harvard team visited Woodemeade Elementary School. It was fascinating to see the diversity of these schools, and to see the passion the teachers and school employees had for taking care of and teaching the children under their care. While we weren’t able to teach much about college to the elementary school students, we were able to tell them about the various subjects we study and the many states and countries that we come from.
After visiting the elementary schools, the Harvard team were reunited in order to talk first at Austin High School and then Decatur High School. We talked to freshmen at both schools about our experiences in college and the college application process. We organized ourselves into small groups, which allowed the high school freshmen to ask many questions and get more personal responses. However, not only did the high school students hopefully learn from what we had to say, I think the Harvard team also learned today by hearing about the high school experience in Alabama.
In between the high school visits, the team went to the RailYard for lunch. Many of us ordered the enormous Heartbreaker burger, a double bacon cheeseburger enclosed by two grilled cheese sandwiches. This huge lunch was followed later by an enormous barbecue dinner party held later on at the Maloney house. The St. Patrick’s Day themed party was a great way for the Harvard team to say thank you to all the workers from the Habitat for Humanity site, our host families, and many people who contributed to the success of this trip, including the mayor of Decatur. Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ donated the barbecue and provided a variety of delicious pies, which were the perfect end to another great day in Alabama.
PBHA Alternative Spring Break Trips 2017 