Photo by John Beasley

Over 200 6th grade students from Tulsa’s Will Rogers Middle School visited the Outsiders House and Museum in January in a one-of-a-kind immersive learning experience. The outing was part of their English class, along with reading the book, The Outsiders, watching the movie of the same title, and discussing it all in class. The Outsiders, first published in 1967, was written by Will Rogers High School alumna, S. E. Hinton, and the Outsiders House was the central location for filming the iconic motion picture, The Outsiders. The house was restored to the way it looked during filming, and the museum added, by owner Danny O’Connor. The student trip was led by teachers Madison Bailey and Sandy Pleasant, who said, “We have read The Outsiders in class, and have done an extensive study of the text. This field trip really brings the book to life for our students, and really connects them to the rich culture in our Tulsa community.”   The outing was made possible with funding by the Will Rogers High School Community Foundation, which has provided almost a million dollars in support to the school since 2010. The Foundation administers the school’s Hall of Fame, where author S. E. Hinton is enshrined.