Expeditionary Learning

Rancho Santa Fe Review
July 9-16, 2009
B3
Grauer School relives founding of ‘Expeditionary Learning’ in New Orleans
By Eva M. Stimson
When Dr. Stuart Grauer and founding board member David Meyer,
both of The Grauer School in Encinitas, Calif., recently stepped off the
plane in New Orleans, La., they turned toward each other and Dr. Grauer
stated, “This is what we set out to establish even before we broke ground
in 1991.” That visionary design feature of the school was the concept of
“Expeditionary Leaning,” a term coined by Dr. Grauer at the time — to
bring the students face to face with humanitarian relief efforts on location,
in real life, to make an impact in the world around them.
Said Meyer, as they passed through the 9th Ward in the impoverished
section of New Orleans that was harshly affected by Hurricane Katrina, “It
feels like we’ve come full circle.” The Grauer faculty brought the students
who sought to use their musical talent to enlighten residents and raise funds
as an adjunct of The Grauer School humanitarian model.
The students sang songs, busked on the banks of the Mississippi to
raise money for the Osinam Inn shelter, and visited the impoverished communities still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. They
toured the re-building efforts spearheaded by celebrities Brad Pitt and
Harry Connick, Jr., and served meals at the Osinam Inn shelter, a center for
homeless men in the heart of downtown New Orleans, where men can
room and take temporary jobs until they are ready to regain independence.
This was the most recent in a series of more than 55 expeditions spanning
the globe that have been implemented since the school was established in
1991.
Grauer’s expeditionary learning approach gained early notoriety with
their trip to “riot central” during the 1992 turmoil after the Rodney King
trial. When school officials from South Central L.A. claimed, “Nobody’s
listening to us,” Dr. Grauer packed up a van with students, drove through
battered neighborhoods to the school, and spent the day attending classes
and shooting hoops with impacted students. As they arrived, they were met
by print and broadcast media.
Another early expedition in 1992 was sea turtle research in Bahia de
Los Angeles, Mexico. The students and faculty brought school supplies
with them and presented them to the mayor of the village then helped trap,
weigh and care for endangered oceanic turtles. The school has run humanitarian and ecological missions every spring and fall since. In 1995, ranchers and Bureau of Land Management officials around the Escalante in Utah
were in deep dispute over land use, and the school staged a debate in the
town hall. In 1996, President Clinton designated the area a U.S. National
Monument.
In 1997 the school joined forces with church groups from the Tijuana
barrios and built the first of many houses. In 1997, the expedition team
attended classes with students in one of the nation's most distressed schools
in Helena, Arkansas while attending the King Biscuit Blues Festival.
In 1998, the team painted the schoolhouse and installed an irrigation
ditch for the Havasupai Indian reservation while hiking the steep cliffs surrounding their beautiful travertine pools. (Havasupai means "people of the
blue-green water"). In 2003, they collaborated with the Reinhart Foundation to install 75 stoves in peasant huts across the Altiplano of Guatemala.
States Dr. Grauer, “I avoid the ‘point and click’ tourist-style trips.” A
Grauer expedition is always a story. “One of my most haunting memories
Dr. Stuart Grauer and students presenting 75 stoves to the
Solola Village Chief in the Altiplano of Guatamala, 2003.
is a drum circle we joined with a group of 15 or so Palestinian students. It
was on an emotional day, the 60th anniversary of the birth of the modern
state of Israel, and we were of all places in the West Bank, playing ancient
Tabla drums in an intricate, Middle Eastern song. We actually brought the
music home and played it with our students at our winter holiday assembly last year.”
This year's students, about
140 in number, logged 3,700 hours
of humanitarian and ecological
service for an average of 28 hours
per student, and many did considerably more than they logged,
indicating a culture of giving at
The Grauer School which is significantly impacting the local
community.
Located on a 5-acre natural
habitat campus in coastal Encinitas, the private, college preparatory day school accommodates
grades 6-12. In conjunction with
Expeditionary Learning, a founding design feature of the school
was an emphasis on teacher-student collaboration by keeping
class sizes to a minimum, a component that continues to this day.
Information regarding the Expeditionary Learning program can be
obtained
at
www.grauerschool.com or by contacting Dr. Stuart Grauer at (760)
944-6777.
New Hats Off to the Races at Fairen Del
A new Race Season is almost upon us at the Del
Mar Track and one local merchant, new to the Del Mar
area, is offering you an impressive way to kick off
Opening Day — if you dare to wear an incredible oneof–a-kind creation.
While unusual and outrageous hats are de rigueur
for Opening Day, there is an exciting new option for
you this year — have your own personal showstopper
custom designed by the creative staff at Fairen Del.
Local track aficionados and fashionistas, alike, are invited to a special one-day event on Friday, July 10, where
you will be able to meet with the talented custom hat
designers of Fairen Del between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. in
their new Del Mar location at the Flower Hill Promenade. “Bring us your dress for inspiration, give us a
theme if you like, or just let our imaginations run
wild…you will be Race Day ready with a chapeau like
no other,” says Fairen Del owner Irina Rachow.
Rachow is no stranger to locals who have frequented
the Flower Hill mall over the years. Loved for her
exquisite taste, personal service and enthusiastic nature,
Rachow’s former leather goods and gift store was an
area favorite for many. “This is a new concept for me,
and we hope to surprise and delight our customers with
a new twist on an Opening Day classic. We will even
design hats for the guys!”
Over the top, or sleek and chic – whichever style
suits you, Fairen Del aims to please. They will offer
ready made hats in addition to custom designs, so be
sure to stop by before opening day on July 22 and you’ll
have your choice! Visit their Del Mar location, featuring the latest in apparel, leather goods, shoes, jewelry,
accessories and luggage, all in one of the newest stores
in the Flower Hill Promenade, conveniently located on
Via de la Valle, just across the freeway from the Track.
To make a personal appointment with Mary Bressi or
Candy Melendez for a custom design contact Fairen
Del at (858) 259-1120.
K. Ann Brizolis
Executive Director, Estates Division
Call for a confidential evaluation
of your property
www.kabrizolis.com
[email protected]
Your Exceptional Property +
Our Exceptional Representation =
Extraordinary Results
858.756.6355
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