The sophomores have been working on a unit of study in English called Blindness and Sight. The essential question has been “What does it mean to see?” After studying, the tragedy Oedipus the King, written almost 2500 years ago, the students moved to a more modern story Blindness by Nobel Prize in Literature winner José Saramago. To study this book, they were each given a chapter of the book without page or chapter numbers and had to figure out the order of the chapters and the meaning of the story. Amazing discussion, careful listening, and detective work ensued as students tried to figure out how the characters and action in their chapter fit within the bigger story. They basically had to read the book blind, following another definition of blindness – without knowledge of certain facts. The students also participated in an activity, created by student teacher Ms. Runkle, that allowed them to experience the sensation of blindness as they attempted to use their other senses to make it through an obstacle course (pictured). Classmates were given the opportunity to either help or hinder their classmates through the course. What do you think they did?

Photos: Above, Tariq Miller ’25 attempts a classroom obstacle course while blindfolded. Below, Wyatt Hamaker ’25, also blindfolded, maneuvers through the classroom.