Traveling across the country and outside the United States, Wittenberg students are ready to do some exploring during the third annual FIRE Week, a centerpiece of the University’s Connections Curriculum. Allowing students to explore, engage, and connect with faculty, staff, and other students, 16 exciting opportunities of Focused, Integrated, Reflective Experiences get underway Feb. 26-March 1, 2024.
Designed to give students a chance to engage in-depth on a wide range of topics, FIRE Week has helped students gain entirely new perspectives on the power of a Wittenberg education in the world.
“We are thrilled that interest in FIRE Week keeps growing. The program, now in its third year, is sending students across (and outside) the country, as well as partnering with local organizations, all in order to give students a chance to learn beyond the classroom,” said Mike Mattison, associate provost and one of the coordinators of FIRE Week. “Yes, a lot of schools have experiential learning, but none of them has a FIRE Week. These in-depth experiences allow students to put theory into practice, to connect with community leaders and alums, and to practice critical thinking and collaboration. From Costa Rica to California, from chamber music to criminal justice to craft brewing, FIRE Week challenges students to learn more about themselves and their place in the world.”
This year, 221 students are registered, along with 28 staff and faculty leaders, who will accompany them on trips that include a revival of the Wittenberg Choir Tour, along with off-campus programs in Yellow Springs, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; the Great Smoky Mountains; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Americus, Georgia; the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; Palm Springs, California; and to Guanacaste Province in Costa Rica. In total, FIRE Week participants will log more than 9,000 miles in 2024.
On their journeys, students will learn how roller coasters connect to the teaching of science, study the politics of water, learn what marine biologists do, find out more about the big business world, and study Black history in the nation’s capital. The possibilities are as rich and varied as the people at Wittenberg.
Local programs include students attending Habitat for Humanity builds in the Dayton area, as well as a day of helping to clean up local parks in Springfield. Other students will be learning about the business of craft beer and the homebrewing process, which will include visits to several area breweries, as well as a virtual tour of a larger facility.
The Chamber Music Intensive program returns this year with student ensembles rehearsing pieces beginning Monday morning of FIRE Week and performing in concert on Thursday evening. Also returning this year is the Connecting Generations experience where students will be working with residents of local assisted-living agencies to help build memory books and create meaningful, enriching activities for the residents throughout the week with them.
During the Clark County Criminal Justice experience, Wittenberg police officers will be showing students the various aspects of the criminal justice system by introducing them to corrections officers, deputies, detectives, prosecutors, public defenders, and judges in order to get a holistic view of the system.
For more information about FIRE Week, click here.
