Michaela Handke/ Winonan

On Nov. 20 in the Purple Room, students and staff who were apart of the civil rights travel study trip which took place this past June will be informing others about the many things they learned about on their trip.

While on the 15-day trip, the students attended the Mississippi Freedom Summer 50th Anniversary Conference, saw Martin Luther King Jr.’s home, as well as many other locations which made up a significant part of history during the time when civil rights were being fought for by many.

Jordan Gerard, a student who had gone on the trip, said her favorite part of the trip was seeing King’s house.

“We got to see his living room and where he played with his kids,” she said.

Nick Lee, another student who went on the trip, said his favorite part of the trip was “seeing all the different museums and all the many different artifacts related to this time in history, but most of all, being so close to something so important in history and where it took place.”

The purpose of the trip was not only to attend the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Summer but also to give the students and staff “a look at what it would be like as a civil rights worker and to use the skills that we attained to better help us later in life,” Lee said.

This small group of staff and students will share their experiences from the trip with others on Nov. 20. They will answer questions, share photos, memories, stories and songs from their trip.

“We learned so many freedom songs while we were on the trip. It really helped get into the history of this event,” Gerard said. “Many times we would just walk up and down the streets singing freedom songs.”

Both Gerard and Lee said they enjoyed the trip and want to share their experiences with others.

Gerard said, “I would do it again in a heartbeat. If anyone has an opportunity to go on a travel study trip, they should definitely jump at the chance.”