Project Proposal
Continuing a tradition that has existed for the past several years, the World Religions course would like to offer field trips to various worship centers in the Omaha area. Funding would help with transportation costs to these locations.
Amount Funded
$4,500
“The field trips are invaluable experiences for the students who take the class. I delight in being able to watch their minds churn as they take in the architecture, art, and space of the worship centers and the words of our tour guides. These moments are when all the abstract concepts we’ve been discussing in class become tangible experiences, driving home the fact that these ways of life are practiced by real people in their own communities. The class would be incomplete without them.”
Mr. Thomas Forke, CHS Social Studies Teacher
Students Impacted
Approximately 60 students each year
Commitment to Closing the Opportunity Gap
The field trips offered in the World Religions class include visiting the Hindu Temple, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Temple Israel Synagogue, and the Islamic Center of Omaha. These events, which take place during the school day and are funded by the CHS Foundation, allow students to attend free of charge. Many students are able to visit these worship spaces who otherwise would have been unlikely or unable to attend due to socioeconomic factors.
Translation to College and Career Readiness
In terms of academics, having a background on religious beliefs and practices illuminates much of the content in other classes, especially history, literature, and social studies in general. Additionally, in both college and in their careers, they will encounter individuals who adhere to the religious traditions discussed in class. These field trips are an important avenue through which students can attain a glimpse into these people’s worlds in a local context, giving them a new level of understanding of these religions that they would not have had otherwise and setting them up for further learning in the future.
“Religion is everywhere. There are no human societies without it, whether they acknowledge it as a religion or not. During the field trips I learn many things that I didn’t know before, and I think religion holds important values to help shape the person you are.”
Naima Hassan, Class of 2025