WA 8th Graders discover new foods Beyond the HIlltop!
Every year, Worcester Academy eighth grade students undertake the Market Project, an urban exploration of small food markets located throughout our city. Students research the history and geography of the culture or region represented by the market they will visit; they also explore their own family food heritage and how food can be a portal into cultural connection and understanding throughout the world. Finally, teams take to the road—equipped with shopping bags, a small budget to purchase food for sampling, and a desire to meet the people and learn the stories behind the markets.
A highlight of the project is that the teams are able to taste and share new and familiar foods with classmates-- it’s a feast!
What you will find here are links to each team’s collection of writings about their experiences and impressions. You’ll see poems, letters, op-eds, guidebook segments, and more. And you will also see the students’ artistic works inspired by the culture of the market they visited. These visual art pieces, musical compositions, theater designs, and scripts are another way to reach into Worcester’s diverse urban riches.
Click a link or two (or more!) and see where the students went in 2019. We hope you will make your way to visit and shop at these unique markets too! Enjoy!