Classroom spotlight: Bay Haven

After five weeks of learning about the government, Melissa Owens’ third-grade class from Bay Haven School of Basics Plus visited the Sarasota Judicial Center Wednesday, Dec. 11. The students began their visit by singing Christmas carols and decorating the lobby’s Christmas tree. Afterward, Court Administrator Walt Smith led them on ta tour of the courthouse and a holding cell.

Owens has been teaching the children U.S. history and says that she tries to make it as fun as possible through re-enactments and field trips. To learn about the Boston Tea Party, Owens and her students wore feathers on their heads and pretended they were sneaking down to the Boston Harbor to dump the tea.

She says her favorite part of the trip is seeing her students make the connection between what they studied in the classroom and real life.

Contact Harriet Sokmensuer at [email protected]