One of the many things that makes St. HOPE Public Schools special is having the nearby 40 Acres cultural center as an extension to school campuses.  Following on the heels of a successful Best of Sac High student art exhibit, several Freshman Honors English classes visited 40 Acres as a field lesson to explore the artwork of their peers as well as tour the various St. HOPE Development Company projects. 

Thanks to Sac High teacher Ms. Munoz, close to 100 scholars were exposed to the work of the greater St. HOPE organization occurring beyond their classrooms and in the community.  Sac High scholars learned about the contributions St. HOPE has made in the Oak Park community and the impact of the more recent economic development in neighboring projects. 

During their visit, scholars toured through Old Soul Coffee, a place where all Sac High scholars are offered a free lavender lemonade each week with a 3.0 or higher GPA.  Visiting students then browsed through the bookshelves at Underground Books where they were offered a student discount. The final step was a walk through the Guild Theater where each student was given a throw-back St. HOPE t-shirt. 

This field lesson is one of many that will be happening in the future for scholars to gain a better understanding of community development.