Fourth and fifth-grade Montgomery field trip includes Capitol tour, riverboat lunch, Rosa Parks Museum, and zoo animals of the Bible
Saint Francis Xavier (SFX) Catholic School fourth and fifth-grade students took a field trip to Alabama’s capitol on Thursday to learn about state history and government and visit the zoo.
Students in Ms. Nancy Rohling’s fourth-grade class have been learning about Alabama history. Ms. Ann Bettis’s fifth-grade students received Alabama history last year and are now learning about many of the same events in American history.
Typically, only fourth grade takes the trip to Montgomery, but students did not go on the field trip last year, so both classes had the opportunity to go this year.
Students first arrived at the Alabama State Capitol where they saw the original meeting place of the Alabama Supreme Court and even saw Gov. Kay Ivey from afar!
They then went across the street to the Alabama State House where they sat in the galleries over both the Alabama Senate and House of Representatives. While in the House, Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter recognized SFX students and asked them to stand.
In the Senate, students watched lawmakers honor Tuskegee Airmen Day. The Tuskegee Airmen were a famous group of black military pilots during World War II. They were educated at the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), located in East Alabama.
After learning about the state government, students had lunch on the Alabama River aboard the Harriott II riverboat.
Students then went to Cleveland Avenue where they learned about the history of slavery and Jim Crow and the people who fought for equal rights on the Rosa Parks Museum Children’s Wing’s Time Machine.
The field trip ended at the Montgomery Zoo where students learned about animals mentioned in the Bible. This involved everything from snakes to dart frogs to real-life “dragons” (Asian water monitors).
“The students really enjoyed our trip to Montgomery,” said Ms. Rohling. “While the animal encounter was a big hit, they also enjoyed walking around the places that they had only seen in their history books.”
Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School is an accredited classical Catholic PreK-8 school in Birmingham’s Crestline neighborhood that uses the time-tested Catholic Intellectual Tradition to form students in virtue through the pursuit of academic excellence and service toward God and neighbor.
You can stay up to date with the school by connecting with us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
