OSNAS 9th Grade Takes Class Trip to Boston (Photo taken on board a replica British ship in Boston Harbor)
First of all, Happy Easter! Jesus is risen! Death has been defeated! We are winners in Christ! May the Lord always give us this resurrection joy and perspective as we walk through a world filled with ups and downs.
The following is an article that I will be submitting to the Brookhaven Messenger, a local paper of growing popularity and edited by one of our alumni, Matthew Meduri. We hope to add a few student quotes with an additional word on the value of taking students on class trips.
The OSNAS updates can be found below the article. Enjoy!
Start of article
The ninth grade class of Our Savior New American School (OSNAS) in Centereach went on a school trip just before the Easter break. Every year, History teacher Josette Leon and Principal Dr. Wil Stelzer lead a group of students on a trip to significant sites in our nation’s history. This year, in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the destination was Boston, Massachusetts. The trip featured a vast array of major landmarks within a three day time span.
The first stop on the tour was Plymouth Rock. This is the spot where the pilgrims first set foot in their pursuit of a land where they could worship God freely. The students also climbed aboard Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower that carried the Pilgrims across the Atlantic. They were able to see firsthand the close quarters in which the Pilgrims lived for many arduous days before drafting the Mayflower Compact. As a classical Christian school, OSNAS prioritizes the reading of original sources over textbooks. Naturally, Dr. Stelzer read the Compact to the students who listened to the stated purpose of their perilous voyage: “…for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith…”
The next stop was Boston where the students experienced a reenactment of that fateful day when a band of perturbed colonists marched onto some ships in Boston Harbor and drowned over a million dollars worth of fine British tea. The students even threw a case of their own into the waters solidifying their role as rebels to tyranny.
From there, the students walked the Freedom Trail and rode the trolley to visit sites such as Benjamin Franklin’s childhood stomping grounds, the Boston Massacre, the Old North Church that initiated Paul Revere’s midnight ride, and the gravesites of people like Samuel Adams, John Hancock and John Winthop, the first governor of Boston. It was Winthrop who famously charged the early settlers to think of their colony as a “City on a Hill.” He used this direct quote from Jesus to help early Americans understand that their ultimate purpose was to shine for the glory of God and be an example for the rest of the world. Through this and many others examples, the students saw the ubiquitous influence of Christ and the Bible on our nation’s founding.
On day three of this action-packed tour, the students traveled to Lexington and Concord. Precisely ten days from the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard round the world”, the students stood on the bridge where a ragtag bunch of farmers took a stand against the world’s foremost military power of the time, chasing them back to Boston and officially starting the war for American independence.
Later on that same day, the students visited the towns of Quincy and Weymouth just outside Boston in order to visit the childhood homes of John and Abigail Adams. In class, the students read all about John and Abigail in their book entitled Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution. The students enjoyed this book enough that several of the boys and girls went to Dr. Stelzer and thanked him for putting it on the booklist. They deeply appreciated the opportunity to learn History through a personal, firsthand witness rather than a powerpoint presentation.
Through a string of phone calls, Ms. Leon obtained access into the Adam’s residence where Abigail corresponded in a loving and respectful interchange with her husband and eventual president. The students also entered the room where John authored the Massachusetts’ State Constitution on which the United States Constitution was modeled. It remains the oldest constitution still in use today. Speaking of enduring constitutions, it was Adams who said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” In accordance with George Washington’s Farewell Address, it is apparent that our founders believed that losing Christianity led to a loss of morality and a corresponding loss of our Constitution.
One final stop in the itinerary involved the church where John Hancock Sr. baptized both John Adams and his son, both signers of the Declaration of Independence. In the basement of this church, the students all ventured into the crypt where John, Abigail, John Quincy and his wife Louisa were laid to rest. The tour ended with a drive down to southern Connecticut, a ferry trip across the Long Island Sound, and a quick 15 minute drive back to OSNAS. The students were beaming upon the successful completion of an unforgettable experience of first hand learning and life together. The goal for next year is to take the incoming ninth grade class to Philadelphia. A trip to the city of brotherly love will mark the celebration of 250 years of declared independence from Britain and 250 years of dependence on God.
End of article
OSNAS Updates:
- The 6th grade class is heading to Sagamore Hill and Old Bethpage Village on Thursday after Daily Prayer. Parents should plan on picking up their children from the school between 3:15 and 3:30PM.
- The OSNAS school musical Alice in Wonderland will be on Friday, May 2nd and Saturday, May 3rd at 7:30PM.
- The Art Show (6PM) and K-12 Spring Concert (6:30PM) have been moved from Tuesday, June 10th to Wednesday, June 11th.
- Jesus Never Stops Day is this Friday!
Click here for the Biblical Thought of the Week
Peace in the Lord +
Dr. Stelzer
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes” Matthew 21:42
