Jervis chosen for exclusive trip to Mexico

This summer, art and yearbook teacher Jennifer Jervis will be taking a five-week trip to Mexico as one of the 16 selected applicants from around the country.

She will travel from June 26 to July 29, seeing the culture of Mexico and exploring Cancún, Mexico City, Puebla, Veracruz, and Oaxaca.

To be selected to go on this trip, Jervis had to complete an application, three essays, and get letters of recommendation from other staff members at the school.

“I am looking forward to visiting Frida Kahlo’s house, the Casa Azul, in Mexico City. I can’t wait to see her artwork, art studio, and all of her things just as she left them when she died,” said Jervis. “I am also excited to see Mayan ruins and to visit the schools in Mexico.”

She applied in order to “get a better understanding of the students who came from Mexico, their background and heritage,” and develop curriculum about the culture of Mexico.

She will be visiting historical sites, such as the ancient ruins of the Mayan, Aztec, and Olmec cities. The participants will learn more in depth about the history of the country and be able to relate to their Mexican students better.

“I am hoping to bring a new appreciation for cultural arts from Mexico to my classroom. They have a strong history of ceramics and pottery and I hope to bring some examples for my ceramics classes to see,” she added. “I definitely will be looking for lesson ideas, such as mask-making and sculpture.”

The goal of the seminar, according to the U.S. Department of Education, is to “give participants a unique opportunity to explore the diversity of Mexico, to familiarize with the origins of the many issues it faces in different contexts (rural, urban and even global), and to understand the challenge of building a free and fair society.”