The Overlake School New Orleans 2026
April 7, 2026
As we started the day, we began with a history lesson (more like storytelling) with Ms. Denise. We learned a lot about New Orleans history and the culture. Her energy and charisma were off the charts, captivating all of us with her humor.
After, we walked in the park and saw an art museum which was fun even though there were a lot of bugs. Inside, we walked around enjoying the different types of art styles and we even tried rhetorically analyzing the paintings and checking with the descriptions next to paintings to see if we guessed right (P.S. we did!).
Afterwards, we had a great time riding the tram for the first time. It was similar to public transportation in Seattle, but smaller and homey. Staring out and looking at the environment from the tram made us feel even more connected to the city, making the experience feel more authentic. We also rode the tram with locals and it was cool to see their different aesthetics.
And finally, we cooked a family-style meal with the rest of our group, working surprisingly well together. There were some greedy little fingers, but overall, everyone was able to have a plate.
April 8, 2026
We started off our day with a amazing bayou tour! The tour guide was very funny and kept us entertained throughout the whole experience. The boat went really fast at times and it was fun to hold on tight. At first, we didn’t see many animals but we ended up with the privilege to view turtles, raccoons, birds, snakes, and most importantly the many alligators!! By the end, the wind messed up our hair but it was all worth it. 10/10 would recommend.
For lunch, after 30 minutes of car karaoke, we stopped by a Vietnamese restaurant connected to a small local bakery. I ordered what I thought to be a simple meal but got a delicious pork chop and rice dish, along with a thai ice tea. Afterwards, we got in the van and got to enjoy a scenic view on the way to the French Quarter. That’s when we split into groups to compete a scavenger hunt. I was a little worried being paired with a bunch of people I went to school with but never spoke to, but it ended up being a really great experience and allowed me to make some new connections. We had a ton of fun and took a lot of pictures. We also had tons of opportunities to speak to locals, something we never do back home.
After that fun we went to Studio Be, a studio/gallery space with tons of powerful artwork, primarily in spray paint. I was super interested to see and understand the messages behind each piece. We also had an interesting tour guide with insightful information about the art that gave me a new perspective and helped me to better grasp the true meaning of each. As we walked, we joked about rhetorically analyzing the works of art for practice for our AP Lang exam. Later on, my friends played the piano and sang in a really sweet moment. I loved getting to visit this gallery and seeing how they creatively used the limited space in the studio!
