Accompanied by a film crew, the senior class returned to the barn at the Gainey Vineyard to look back on their freshman year and create a video to be shown at the Laguna spring 2012 auction that highlights interdisciplinary and experiential learning.
“We are here to mark this moment,” said Dr. Ashley Tidey to the class of 2012 as they sat basking in the barn light rays of sun shining through the wallboards of the ramshackle barn.
The setting in the barn became famous from its use as a set in Gary Sinsie’s 1992 motion picture based on JohnSteinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The original impetus was for the class to make the trek through the grape vines to the old barn and reenact scenes from Steinbeck’s classic.
The novel is a touchstone text in all of Dr. Tidey’s English 9 classes for making connections between English, Civilization, and Biology. “Dr. Tidey is able to immerse us in all other disciplines so we don’t just learn about English; we make connections,” said Kai Gamble ’12.
On the senior class’s return to the barn on Feb. 9, Dr. Tidey read a poem to her “chickens,” as she fondly calls her pupils, from Wendell Berry’s book Given.
The poem inspired the seniors to reminisce about their time as scholars and friends together at Laguna.
Dr. Tidey hadn’t originally planned for an elaborate set-up, but world famous photographer Dewey Nicks and his team of lighting and sound assistants filmed the experience.
“I had always imagined bringing you back to re-take photos of your walking up the hill in the morning sunlight, your smaller backs away from us younger teachers, on your way to pick grapes, a part of the first group of kids we took on this interdisciplinary field trip three and a half years ago.”
The original purpose of the visit had been to reflect and remember the academic endeavors that Dr. Tidey had shared with her students, some of whom she has taught since the seventh grade.
The trip was planned to happen after AP exams, but on account of its hallmark characteristics to Laguna’s curriculum, it was pushed forward and filmed for exhibition at the spring auction.
