Classes across the divisions collaborated with The Community Library during their Winter Read Project which invites the community to read a book together and engage in conversation about a critical historical and regional civil liberty topic. This year’s choice was Jamie Ford’s novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. The novel centers on a Japanese American family from Seattle that is incarcerated at Minidoka, just 80 miles south of Ketchum.
Over the past few months, with the guidance of Community Connections Coordinator Calysta Phillips, Cutthroats in all divisions have participated in various programs and activities that explored this regional history and the wider implications for today’s world. Some classes designed Wow Projects with Wow: The Generosity Project to collaborate with the library. Upper School students in Drennan Wesley’s and Elliot Jacobs’ classes led book discussions about the novel at The Community Library; Kristen Barr's and Cara Frost's 4th grade class exhibited an art project about family and identity in the Lecture Hall at The Community Library, and the Cutthroats 4 Change club presented at the Regional History Museum grand opening and handed out 50+ copies of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet thanks to the generosity of a grant from Wow: The Generosity Project.
On March 12, author Jamie Ford will speak in our library from 9:20-10:40 a.m. Says Calysta, "This collaboration was incredibly meaningful to us. Not only was it cross-divisional, but we were able to work with a cross section of our local population to raise awareness about an often overlooked part of vital local and national history. So many kids didn't realize that Minidoka existed and that it is so close to us. It was an honor to work with the Community Library who provided an entire array of speakers, films, and events in conjunction with the Community Read."