Briarcliff MS Students Talk Walk over Hudson River

From Briarcliff Middle School:

Briarcliff Middle School’s eighth-grade students learned some local history and made connections to their earth science and physics curricula during a trip to the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie.

“This is the second year that eighth-grade students have taken a fall walk across the bridge,” said science teacher Jodi Shearer. “The docents teach the students about the history of the bridge construction, how it was the first bridge to cross the Hudson River and make the transport of materials from Pennsylvania to New York so much easier.”

Following the 1.3-mile walk across the bridge, students had lunch at a restaurant between the Mid-Hudson Bridge and Walkway Over the Hudson, which allowed them to compare the two bridge designs.

While the bridge’s history ties into the social studies curriculum, students focused on the connections with science in comparing the Walkway Bridge and the Mid-Hudson Bridge. They also learned that it would have cost almost twice as much to tear down the original bridge as it cost to renovate it into a pedestrian walkway and state park.

“While strolling across the Walkway Bridge, the students could view the Mid-Hudson Bridge and its suspension design,” said Shearer. “Later this year, we will study physics and earth science and we'll refer back to what we saw at this historic landmark to make the learning more authentic. We will also compare these bridges to the ongoing construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. It's exciting to have all these physics principles being demonstrated right in our midst!”

Photo Captions: Briarcliff Middle School’s eighth-grade students connected history and science when they visisted the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie.

Photos courtesy of the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District