Mid-February featured another great week for our middle school students in the Wilderness Kids After-School Program! Also known affectionately by students as “Nature Club,” the After-School Program serves as an initial chance for students to get a taste of what other experiences with Wilderness Kids might be like.
Our destinations and activities change from week to week in After-School - we might explore the beach at Teddy Roosevelt Island, observe local wildlife at Huntley Meadows, skip stones at Dyke Marsh, or play games with one another at Mason District Park. Most importantly, After-School sessions allow students to develop a sense of place - exploring and learning about the places, people, and history right here in Alexandria and nearby environs.
A crucial part of developing that sense of place is learning about the history and culture of the city we live in. Last week, in observance of Black History Month, students had the special opportunity to learn about Alexandria through a Black history tour with Manumissions Tour Company, led by City Council Member John Chapman.
Students from the International Academy at Francis Hammond Middle School went to Old Town for a kids-focused tour about the City’s Black history. They learned about how enslaved African-Americans worked to buy their freedom and received papers, or “manumissions,” documenting their status.
They also learned about how enslaved people ended up in Alexandria, saw places where they lived and worked, and heard stories of how many of them made dangerous escapes to freedom on the Underground Railroad. They were particularly interested in these stories of long, secret journeys with high consequences. As they listened, many students pondered and discussed the difficult decision-making these families faced.
Other elements included a collection of rare historical photographs and sketches of Old Town and the harbor, which gave insight into how the City looked hundreds of years ago. Students went to the market area where the slave trade took place, and heard inspiring stories of how a direct descendant of enslaved people in Alexandria recently served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Below the street, they got to look into an old ice well, where ice from the Potomac River was stored year-round to keep food cold. On a day that was well below freezing and windy, the students enjoyed that the ice well actually felt warmer than their surroundings!
These unique places in Old Town, and the history behind them, sparked curiosity, as well as reflection on our nation’s history, in students and staff alike. We are especially thankful for Council Member Chapman for guiding us in such a thoughtful tour of Alexandria’s Black history.
Wilderness Kids students read a marker explaining an old ice well in Alexandria (left), and then peer into the preserved ice well (right). The well was filled with ice from the Potomac and used to store perishable food during the warm months.
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