On Wednesday March 31 and Friday April 1, students in the upper level class at The Renaissance School enjoyed a presentation from one of the school’s founders, Louise Piché on her journey to China in 2006 as part of a pilgrimage with the Vermont Zen Center. Louise presented a slide show of photographs, many pieces of Chinese artwork as well as a collection of prayer beads. She led the students in a lively discussion of cultural identity and the history and influences of the Chinese people. 

Louise emphasized how the ancient aspects of the Chinese civilization exist side by side with its current ultramodern building “boom”, showing many examples of ancient temples and statues being overshadowed by shining new skyscrapers. She also discussed her visits to ancient historical sites and the stories surrounding them, such as the Terra Cotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the Shaolin Monastery, Tiananmen Square and the Zhaozhou Bridge. 

The students, who are studying ancient civilizations this year in Social Studies, were eager participants. The discussion ranged from “Why are all the buildings covered in paintings?” to specific questions about Chinese culture, American culture,  geographic locations, artwork and the chants used in the monasteries that she shared with the group.  The discussion also led to a conversation about Chinese social values and the way they influenced everyday life. There was also time for hands on exploration of the many materials and pictures that were included in the presentation.

Students at The Renaissance School work with yearlong themes in both Social Studies and Science.  The Ancient Civilization theme covers two years where students visit all parts of the world to better understand how rich cultures emerged everywhere around the globe and not just in specific locations.  This year the children have spent time in study of China, North and South America, Australia/Oceania, India and pre-colonial Africa.