Dear Parents and Families,

Imagine: hiding in a safe house on the Underground Railroad, with Harriet Tubman at your side, as she risks life and limb to free her People from the yoke of slavery. Thanks to support from your school as well as generous assistance from foundations, corporate sponsors and many private donors, your student has embarked, or will soon, on an amazing three-week learning adventure. For an hour each day, she/he will immerse themselves in a world far beyond the classroom—studying, co-writing, staging and performing an inspirational one-act SPIRIT SERIES play:

Freedom Train

In journal entries, they will explore Four Facets of Freedom: Gratitude, Responsibility, Vision, and Service. One of these attributes will also be the focus of your student’s At Home project. And we encourage you to join in! The At Home journey begins below, with heartfelt personal stories from friends of our program that celebrate these important character traits. Designed to engage and challenge, the At Home project, along with the entire SPIRIT SERIES curriculum, promotes literacy, higher-order thinking, positive core values, presentation skills, teamwork, character and self-esteem.

The success of this curriculum depends on your engagement and support. In the next three weeks, your student may bring home written assignments, journals, and a craft project. If so, please assist them in completing these important tasks. You may also wish to read the play, available on this website, and discuss together the key message of Harriet Tubman’s life. This drama-based transformative experience promises to be of lasting significance to your student. Thank you for your active participation.

Hope to see you at the show!

— Your SPIRIT SERIES Staff