DIGGING INTO THE PAST TO IMAGINE THE CLASSROOM OF THE FUTURE

BLAKE AMOS, DIRECTOR OF EXPERIENTAL EDUCATION AMANDA COLLINS, UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER AND DR. DAVID OSTROFF, HISTORY DEPARTMENT CHAIR

If you have heard us mention Buttermilk Creek Ranch or been lucky enough to visit, you know that the ranch is a huge asset for Trinity Valley’s commitment to experiential education.

Our connection to Buttermilk Creek Ranch started in 2016 with a chance conversation between Mark Kalpakis, father of George Kalpakis ‘22, and Blake Amos. The conversation led the Kalpakis family to generously throw open the gates to several hundred acres of pristine land near Salado for us to dream on. Since those early days, TOE has created robust sixth- and 12th-grade Core trips on the ranch where we hike, fish, learn, play, and explore on our own terms.

From the beginning, Mark also told us about the neighboring property that just so happened to house the Gault School of Archeological Research (GSAR), and he wondered if there might be a connection for our students. GSAR had unearthed over two million artifacts linked to many generations of Paleoindian hunting and gathering cultures. Artifacts such as horse, bison, and mammoth bone, as well as lithic spear points and flakes, were found centimeters to meters below the surface.

GSAR had unearthed over two million artifacts linked to many generations of Paleoindian hunting and gathering cultures. Artifacts such as horse, bison, and mammoth bone, as well as lithic spear points and flakes...

Literally, on the other side of the fence, just 50 yards away from our land was a cache of world-renowned research opportunities.

We reached out and before long had a very passionate Amanda Collins (US Science) and several US students digging in the dirt alongside the staff and the founder of GSAR, archaeologist Dr. Michael Collins, a legend who is sometimes referred to as the “Indiana Jones of Texas.”

Archaeologist Dr. Michael Collins, "Indiana Jones of Texas"

We thought we had hit the jackpot… until…the program began to lose traction. We saw such potential in a nontraditional course for our Upper School students that was project-based and more self-directed. At the same time, relying on the GSAR staff to find time for us, overcoming a small matter called a pandemic, and, ultimately, developing structure to make it a true “for credit” course proved a difficult set of challenges to overcome. For a time, we let our plans fall into the category of “just a good idea.”

We had to find a way to make this good idea fit into the course calendar, course schedule, and requirements for credit in the Upper School. So we reached out to History Department Chair, Dave Ostroff and Director of Global Education Michael Roemer. Their creative thinking and ability to help navigate Upper School requirements led to the development of our first-ever Archaeology course!

We have designed a curriculum that leverages the strengths of the different faculty involved and found a once-per-week time slot during T-period for the class to meet. While the course is a full year, students currently receive a credit for one semester of history.

We are off and running…or digging!

Hailey Murrin and TVS teacher Amanda Collins at the dig site

“Archaeology: Digging into History” is team-teaching at its finest. The course began in the fall when Mrs. Collins introduced the science and processes of an archeological dig site. Dr. Ostroff shared his passion around themes of Equity and Inclusion: archaeology gives voice to people whose stories had never been parts of written historical records. Upper School Latin teacher Dr. Brandon Cline worked with our class to help students understand how archeology helps us view a classical culture and community.

Once each month, students visit Buttermilk Creek Ranch to work side by side with professional archeologists. We met archeologists Chris Ringstaff, now our dig site director, and TVS alumnus Kevin Miller ’85, who works in the private archeology world. We even had a visit in February from Dr. David Kilby, a renowned professor from Texas State, who was thrilled to work alongside our students. Together we have developed a TVS dig site called Three Owl.

Despite all the hands-on work at the ranch and numerous amazing instructors, there were still some very traditional elements in the original course design for Archaeology. In terms of assessing students’ learning, for example, we had scheduled a traditional midterm exam - almost by default.

While the staff were meeting before class one day, we wondered, “What does the midterm look like?” It was on our course schedule, but were unsure what the actual assessment would look like, not to mention how it would be presented or even fully assessed.

Blake Amos answered, “The kids haven’t decided that yet!” and an observer could almost see the heads starting to spin.

This prompted all of us to ask, “How do instructors assess competency in a course like this?”

During the next class we asked the students, “After weeks of discussing various topics and numerous visits to the site, what are you finding so interesting that you need to know more?”

And then it happened. The course finally moved from something more traditional to something more innovative … and incredible. One student said, “I need to know more about the rocks on the ranch and the geology of the area,” so we brought onto the team a local geologist Rob Jacobs and alumni father.

Another said, “I want to learn more about the native people that were there and what happened to them.” We connected her to another Dr. Roemer (UTA Professor Emeritus and father of our own Dr. Michael Roemer), who has done extensive research on Texas native peoples. Others wanted to learn more about how tools were made, so we linked them to professional flint-knappers. Another wanted to know more about how archeologists make a living and what they actually do.

The midterm became presentations and formal research papers (the students could choose one) on what they learned from deeper dives into their respective interests. That’s when the course shifted from a teacher-driven curriculum to something much more. The students eagerly read, researched, interviewed, and dug deeper into what they found important to them. Isn’t that the core of great learning? Things seem to stick more when the learner can decide what is important. A student somehow does not mind the rigor if it is toward personal goals and not just those on a syllabus. It has been wonderful to watch the students in the course adding to their own workload because the subject matter is important to them. Observing them digging in the dirt for eight hours on a Saturday, shoulder to shoulder with the professionals, has been remarkable.

This is their course now!

Chert points, more commonly known as arrowheads

Kevin Miller ’85, Chris Ringstaff (lead archaeologist for the crew), Dr. David Kilby, John Pritchett, Hunter Cooke, Cole Richardson, Hailey Murrin, Emerson Smith, TVS teacher Mrs. Collins, alumni parent Rob Jacobs, land owner and alumni parent Mark Kalpakis, and Mr. Kalpakis’ grandson Atom.

Students and teachers reimagining great learning together supports our School’s mission for “fine scholarship.” When asked what he thought of our new class after working with our students all year, Three Owl Site Director, Chris Ringstaff, who has been a professional archaeologist for almost 30 years, wrote:

The program offered by Trinity Valley School provides their college-bound students a unique opportunity to work on a world-class archeological site collaborating with professional archeologists. The course is comparable in its rigors to a university undergraduate-level archeological field school conducting field survey and site delineation as well as controlled excavation and data recovery. The multi-disciplinary approach of the course integrates geography, geology, biology, and anthropology, distinguishing the program as an endeavor of true scientific inquiry and historic preservation versus relict hunting. The students are provided on-site training and guidance but are self-motivated and assume direct accountability for the quality of their work product, which will serve them later in their individual academic and professional careers.

Lab work cleaning artifacts.

Lab work cleaning artifacts.

Lab work cleaning artifacts.

Lab work cleaning artifacts.

And this is only the start. We cannot wait for you to see the final project they will create!

We are also designing Archaeology 2.0 for our current students who want to continue in the project next year. More importantly, this class has created opportunities for Upper School faculty to play with our assumptions about the traditional classroom and classtime experience and reimagine what great learning can look like at TVS. Can we rethink the view that classroom seat time equals great learning? Are we willing to let go of telling students what they need to know and instead guide them toward their own goals while helping to equip them? How might we continue to push students to use their numerous resources to become lifelong learners who not only know how to find their own paths but also enjoy the process? We hope our wonderings inspire similar questions and conversations about redefining great learning in other contexts and other subjects all over our campus.