Student Journals from the Trip

My time in Chicago was excellent despite of me being sick some days. I enjoyed being with my friends and teachers. We had fun experiencing many new big buildings and stores down in Chicago. The time we spent experiencing buildings and learning new things was good for me because I never seen or heard of. After we left the trip on our way bake home I thought about the things I learned to share with my friends and family.

-Jameese C.

PHOTO CONTEST: Students Upload Your Photos!

Share with the other trip members the photos you took of our trip. The best 25 pictures will be printed and displayed in a collage documenting our Great Migration experience.

Photo Contest deadline is Sunday April 3, 2011.

Follow these steps to upload your photos:

1. Go to http://www.shutterfly.com/
2. Click the "Sign In" link at the top of the webpage.
3. Log in to My Accounts. Username: gclaus@gville.k12.ms.us   Password: solomon
4. Clik "Upload Photos" to add your pictures to the site.

Students: Share with us what you learned and how we can improve this trip for next year!

Complete the survey below or visit the survey website here.

Please complete the survey below, and press "done" when you are finished to see the group's results.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Student Perspectives: Most Memorable Moments of the Trip

"My most memorable moment was up in the Sky Deck (Sear's Tower).  It started off at 7:30 at night right when the place was closing. Everybody hopes was brought down, but was suddenly rose up when they decided to let us in. Everyone was excited, yet frightened about standing on the glass floor of the Sky Deck. We waited eagerly as we reached the elevator to reach the top floor. Everyone's ears started to pop on the elevator when we was going up. Then there we were on the 103rd floor, 16,000 feet in the air, on the top of the Sky Deck. We gazed around as we were fascinated about the view of Chicago and Illinois. Then we went to the gift shop and looked for merchandise. Some of us bought candy and went to the glass. Some of them were too scared of standing on the glass but the rest of us weren't scared. Mr. Claus and Mr. Abend tried to show off and embarrassed themselves."

3/14/2011 Journal entry from Patrick B.

"My most memorable part of today was when we went to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was so exciting. I really liked it when we first walked in the door and the big model airplanes were sitting there for us to see. I also like all the colors and the wind simulator. The wind simulator was very fun because you could change how fast the wind was going. The avalanche was very cool; I liked how the sand was changing color as it moved. Mr. Abend, our group leader, was like a kid in a candy store. He liked the set ups more than we did. But I really like how he knew everything about what we were doing and explained it in a way that we could understand. As you can see, I really liked going to the Museum and would really wanna go back someday."

3/14/2011 journal entry from Jamessa M.

Day Four: Tired

Day 4:

• 8:30am wake up and check out
• Tour of Columbia College of Art and Design
• Learn about money, futures, and commodities at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
• Lunch at Potbelly's Deli
• Visit the Lincoln Park Zoo.
• Shopping on State Street.
• 8pm Board Amtrak and head for home.

Day Three in Chicago

Day 3:

• Engage with hands on experiments at the Museum of Science and Industry.
• Walking tour of Hyde Park with Mrs. Cook.
• See the world famous Robie House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
• Lunch and tour at the University of Chicago.
• Scavenger Hunt for "knowledge" at UofC.
• Dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.
• Night time view of Chicago skyline at the Willis Tower Skydeck.

Day Two in Chicago

Day 2:

• See an incredible play at Steppenwolf Theater: Samuel J. and K.
• Learn about the immigrant experience at the Hull House Museum.
• Visit the Art Institute of Chicago.
• Photo op with "the bean"
• Try our first deep dish pizza at Gino's.
• Evening class and reflections.
• Swimming at the hotel.
• Lights out at 10pm

Day One: Arriving in Chicago

Arrived in Chicago at 9:00am

• Visit Chinatown and try new food.
• Skating in Millennium Park. (A first time ice skating for many!)
• Dinner at Navy Pier.
• Interview and meet migrants from Mississippi at the Greenville, Mississippi Club of Chicago.

Follow our travels!

Today is the day! We are leaving in just 3 hours to board a train and head on to new adventures and opportunities. Eighty years ago, many Mississippians, some of them were our ancestors, took a similar journey north to see what new adventures and opportunities awaited them.

Follow our travels north by checking out our trip itinerary.

Oral-History Interviews of the Great Migration

We asked our students to interview a older relative or neighbor to hear their story of the Great Migration. Since most students still have family in Chicago, we knew that we would learn of some impressive migration stories.
Read our familys' Great Migration stories here:

DaShaun J's storiy:
1.) Where did our family originally come from?
Mississippi

2.) When did our family come to Chicago? / When did our family move up North?
2009

3.) How did our family get here?
Drove 2 days

4.) Why did our family come to Chicago? / Why did our family move up North?
Job reasons

5.) Are there any memorable stories about our family coming to Chicago?
Happy and sad, she was sad to leave all of her friends and co-workers but excited to meet new people and see a beautiful city.

6.) Does our family have any special artifacts? /If we were going to donate something to the Chicago History Museum , what would it be?
A statue of the McDonalds that she is regional manager of. (unsure)

7.) What advice would you give someone just moving to Chicago?
Start off by becoming close with your neighbors because you’ll never know when you’ll need them. Explore the city and get use to your neighborhood. Finally, visit every well-known sites nine times out of ten, you will love them.

Read more stories after the jump.

Students Respond: How is our migration similar to the Great Migration that happened 80 years earlier?

Students Respond: How will Chicago be different than Greenville, MS?

Students Respond: What are you most looking forward to in Chicago?