Overview of Workshop

On September 29, 2021 students paddled a small part of the Odawa route to DC, allowing them insight into the risks taken by the delegates in 1835 when they paddled from city beach to negotiate a treaty that they hoped would allow them to stay in their homelands. On November 9, students gathered at the shoreline of Lake Michigan (on Harbor Point) where they were asked to reflect on the meaning of home–their own and that of the Odawas almost two hundred years prior. This learning opportunity gave students a tangible link to the regional and national impacts of a historical event that took place in their own backyard.

The project was a collaboration between Harbor Springs Public Schools, Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, and TOPOnexus–Center for Learn Local. The City of Harbor Springs Marine Patrol and Bear River Canoe Livery provided logistical support as well as a small Support Crew of community members.

Impact & Deep Reach

Short term

• Students connected to the local landscape, specifically City Beach, the harbor, and the Lake Michigan shoreline

• Students grasped causes and effects of the 1835 departure of Odawa delegates from their local beach

• Community awareness was raised by press coverage in the Harbor Light newspaper

Long-term

• Increased students’ potential to view history through multiple perspectives and cultural lenses 

• Increased students’ potential to be stewards of home

• Increased students’ potential to consider that current actions can have long term consequences

• Created opportunity for community discourse on implications of past, present and future of the Harbor Springs area 

74 Learners

Wonder & Whoa!

The physicality of the experience was notable: practicing canoe skills, launching from the beach, paddling around the harbor, spending time on the beach at Harbor Point. This suite of experiences represented firsts for many kids (first time in a canoe, first time on the harbor, first time on Harbor Point). 

What is Wonder & Whoa?

Without wonder, we cannot gain new perspectives or innovate. With wonder, we become lifelong learners. We are full of wonder. Whoa is something that stops you in your tracks and inspires, surprises, or shocks you. Together, wonder and whoa have the transformative power to create meaningful personalized learning.