Ninth graders enjoyed an Experiential Learning day on Jan. 6 as part of the unit on John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” travelling to the Gainey Ranch in Santa Ynez.
Prior to leaving, they watched 1992 film adaptation of the novel which was filmed in the nineteenth-century barn on the property.
“We are very fortunate that the ever-generous Gaineys (Patrick ‘12, Morgan ’15 and Caitlin ‘19) allow us to make this “barn-trek” every year; once in the barn, we act out scenes from the book, reflect on its themes and mark the moment of being together as a freshman class,” said English teacher Ashley Tidey.
“Of Mice and Men” is about an unlikely pair of friends, one a slow and gentle giant, the other a small and bright individual, who are trying to make enough money to fulfill their dreams of buying their own land during the Great Depression.
“I’m excited to learn what life was like during the depression,” said Shaun Underwood ‘18.
“I am looking forward to reenacting different scenes from the book,” said Jason Barnick ’18.
After this, they journeyed into Solvang where they had lunch before returning back to the Laguna Blanca campus.
On Jan. 8, students attended a special assembly to hear from Dr. Mimi Doohan (M.D. Stanford; Ph.D. UCSB) a local primary care physician who has been involved in street medicine for over two decades and works with Common Ground Santa Barbara about vulnerability and homelessness, in relation to the book.
“I am excited to hear what [Dr. Doohan] has to say,” Zane Mazor-Brown ‘18 said.
Tidey has plans for her students to explore community outreach with a sock drive  that could possibly lead up to Common Ground’s “point in time” Vulnerability Survey of the homeless that will run in the early mornings of Jan. 28 and 29.
She said, “Steinbeck’s novel ties together yearlong themes of the course: that is, the dreams, realities and limitations that define quests for sustenance, self-determination and property ownership. In very meaningful ways, these units of study will allow us to continue to ask the question: What are the contemporary and historical stakes of carving out places and spaces for oneself and for others within a modern—and civilized—world?”