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The Waynflete Wire |
Urban hike connects Middle School students to Portland’s history of innovation
Grade 6 students recently embarked on an interdisciplinary urban hike that transformed Portland’s streets into an interactive classroom. This day-long adventure tied into the grade 6 theme of “adapt, survive, and thrive,” highlight how Portlanders have tackled challenges across generations.
Students learned about the Great Portland Fire’s influence on safety innovations, explored sustainable maritime technologies like mycelium buoys, and even tried their hand at oyster shucking! They uncovered locally invented solutions, from commercial sewing breakthroughs to creative uses of invasive species, and decoded the maritime flag system at the Portland Observatory.The three-mile trip concluded with a spirited trivia contest on the Eastern Prom, where students journaled about how specific innovations demonstrated human adaptation or created historical fiction pieces that brought these innovations to life.
This immersive experience embodied Waynflete’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning, combining history, environmental science, and social-emotional growth in one memorable journey.
