Sixth graders go on a "Water Walk" for project based learning

As part of the sixth grade PBL (project based learning), students engaged in a "Water Walk" on the upper fields to experience the difficulty of collecting water from the stream and carrying gallon containers of water for a distance of approximately one to two miles. They had been reading A Long Walk to Water, which is the story of two Sudanese children. The girl, Nya, fetches water from a pond that is two hours' walk from her home and makes two trips to this pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan — refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. 

In line with Sacred Heart Goal 3, "a social awareness which impels to action," the girls walked in solidarity with and in order to develop empathy and compassion for people who travel long distances to obtain clean water for drinking and cooking. We often take for granted the readily available and consistently flowing sources of water in our own homes. Many of us who lived through Hurricane Sandy and other recent weather disasters can well remember what it was like to be without water even for just a short period of time. Following their walk, the students reflected on the experience in their theology classes and considered all of the things in their daily life they may take for granted without even realizing it.

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