Summer is here! For Settlement Programs at The Gables that means field trips and adventures! Our English Language Learners from area elementary schools are gearing up for this summer’s Caribbean Connections Program. Roughly 30 students will learn about Salem’s history and its connection to other places in the world while developing their English language proficiency. The program will explore Salem’s colonial and maritime history through the lens of the Ingersoll family and The House of the Seven Gables. Visits to Salem’s Maritime National Historic Site, The Custom House and Baker’s Island will help teach about the transatlantic trade and the commodities that were transported across the Atlantic. Through books and folk tales such as The Red Comb (Juan Picó), students will also learn about slavery in the Americas and the Caribbean, and its impact on our history.
Guided by Dora Tevan, our new partner from the Ethnic Arts Center, students will create puppets and a script inspired by The Red Comb. The topic of migration will be explored while visiting the Immigrant Exhibit at the Tsongas Industrial History Center in Lowell. During the last week, students will participate in drumming workshops led by Mamadou, a world-renowned musician from Senegal.
This summer’s adventure will culminate in a celebration of our collective history, when students will showcase a puppet theater accompanied by drumming. We invite you to join us on August 8 from 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM to celebrate the completion of the five-week program of fun, adventures, and learning!
