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!
April 9, 2026
BLOG SQUAD 501: We began today’s expedition with a wonderful opportunity to help out the city of New Orleans by getting down and dirty in the bayou and planting grass that helps prevent erosion. When we arrived, we were presented with the prospect of neck-deep swampland service work. After a quick rendezvous, we decided to take our talents elsewhere and relocated to an area with much shallower water, where our efforts prospered. After we were done planting, we returned to the organization’s headquarters in the Lower 9th Ward, where we learned about the history of the area post-Hurricane Katrina, and all the past effects, as well as gaining insight into future projects that may not be beneficial to the people and the area. When we concluded our time with the organization, we returned to the hostel to rest and recoup. Once rejuvenated, we embarked on a journey to Rock n Bowl, where we spared some time (get it) trying to get some strikes (😂). Tonight was full of lively dances, crazy celebrations, and all-around fun. Upon finishing today’s journey, we made our return to the hostel for a good nights sleep in hopes of another invigorating day tomorrow.
April 10, 2026
Today we had a late start and gave everyone our much needed extra sleep. In case the extra hour and a half didn’t suffice we went on a coffee run before we started our day at French Truck Coffee. They had a large variety of drinks ranging from chicory coffee to matcha to chai. People also customized their drinks with different dairies and syrups. If people wanted some breakfast to go they also grabbed some breakfast sandwiches and pastries to eat on our hour long car ride to the Whitney Plantation.
The first thing we did today after our invigorating coffee run was head to a local seafood shop for lunch. We ordered 5 pounds of crawfish and many crabs and were quite terrified when it all came out but it disappeared quicker than we expected. An unexpected taste that we felt was a necessary experience for NOLA‼️We visited the Whitney Plantation and it was a very heavy yet impactful experience. It allowed us to walk through the photographs we’ve seen and letters we’ve read in our history classes in real life. This visit served as an important reminder about how easily people’s humanity can be denied, and how we must do work to prevent cases like this from reoccurring in our world today.
The next food item we had were snow balls at a local spot where the line stretched out the front door. The ice was very smooth, almost like sorbet and the flavors were pronounced and refreshing. We got toppings ranging from whipped cream and condensed milk to crushed pineapples and crushed strawberries, with flavors ranging from coconut and strawberry to pandan and cream of chocolate. The final food item we had today was some refreshing Lebanese cuisine that filled us up for the evening. Our food adventures today were very fruitful and we’re excited for tomorrow!
After dinner we went to a night art market where we had the opportunity to take a look at the creations of local artists. There was lots of colorful jewelry, clothing, and even some New-Orleans themed prints and live caricature portraits. Outside of the market on the main street, the city was alive with music, food, and people, a lively environment that was so much fun to experience. Even though we ended the evening late, it was definitely worth seeing New Orleans at night!
April 11, 2026
Today felt full of culture and energy in New Orleans. We started the morning at Café du Monde, where we had warm beignets covered in powdered sugar. They were soft, sweet, and honestly one of the best ways to start the day.
After that, we went to the Hurricane Katrina Museum. It was powerful and a little heavy, showing the impact of the storm and how people rebuilt their lives. It gave a lot more perspective on the city.
Later, we had lunch and then visited the New Orleans Jazz Museum. The music history was really interesting, and there was even an opera performance that made the experience feel more alive.
We had some free time after to walk around and shop, which let us take in the atmosphere of the city at our own pace. We ended the day with dinner at the Gumbo Shop, just reflecting on how much we saw and experienced in one day.
