Discover BHAM

Discover BHAM: Foundations is a multi-year, progressive place-based learning initiative connecting Advent students in grades 1–8 with Birmingham's cultural, historical, and scientific institutions. This is profound learning that extends beyond classroom walls.

A woman and a boy in a classroom with a blackboard, colorful decorations, and educational posters. The boy is writing on paper and the woman is supervising.
A woman leading a group of children in an outdoor activity on a sunny day.
A young boy sitting at a table with colored pencils, creating art, with the word 'Create' overlaid.
Students sitting at a classroom table engaged in learning, with the word 'Reflect' overlaid.
A woman with curly brown hair holding a colorful, flower-themed glass plate, standing against a plain background.

Discover BHAM is more than a field trip—it’s a learning process. Across all grade levels, students prepare for an experience, engage with Birmingham, create something meaningful, reflect on what they’ve learned, and share their thinking with others. While the experience and final product may look different from grade to grade, these five stages ensure every Discover Birmingham experience connects classroom learning with our city and makes student learning visible.

The Foundations

Swipe or use the arrows to explore each grade

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8th Grade Capstone

The Discover BHAM program originated as an 8th-grade capstone experience. While grades 1–7 follow the Foundations model, 8th grade has a larger, expanded approach that has shaped the entire initiative. The Foundations program is designed so that by the time students reach 8th grade, they already have years of exposure to place-based, city-connected learning.

8th grade students expand their experience beyond the Foundations community partners through visits each Friday to cultural, business, and historical spaces including Rickwood Field, the A.G. Gaston Motel, the Alabama Theatre, Nequette Architecture, Red Mountain Park, and so much more. Through field notebooks, student-generated questions, and weekly reflections, students consider how each place has helped shape Birmingham while developing their own questions and areas of curiosity. These visits deepen students’ research, reflection, and growth in our amazing city.

Capstone Day

Throughout the year, students in grade 8 build a project that brings together their experiences and learning through Discover Birmingham. Their work culminates in Capstone Day, where students share two components of their work: a creative art project and artist statement inspired by their guiding questions, and a science research paper and presentation exploring a scientific question connected to one of the places they visited. Presented gallery-style to families, faculty, peers, and the Advent community, Capstone Day takes the place of a traditional portfolio conference and serves as the culminating expression of students’ city-connected learning journey at Advent Episcopal School.

Past projects include:

A Sociological Analysis of The Birmingham Black Barons

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Where the Past Still Applauds: The Alabama Theatre

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Blast Furnace v.s. Electric Arc Furnace

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Alabama Coal Access: A Pre-Historic Story

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The Acoustic Challenge: A Sound Waves Presentation

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A Sociological Analysis of The Birmingham Black Barons | Where the Past Still Applauds: The Alabama Theatre | Blast Furnace v.s. Electric Arc Furnace | Alabama Coal Access: A Pre-Historic Story | The Acoustic Challenge: A Sound Waves Presentation |

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In the Heart of Downtown Birmingham 

The Discover BHAM program is one of the clearest expressions of who we are as a school in downtown Birmingham. Our surrounding community is an essential part of the Advent experience, and our home in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama, has shaped our school since our founding more than 75 years ago.

Through Discover BHAM, students take their learning beyond the classroom and into the city around them. The program continues to grow through the creativity of our teachers and the support of our incredible Birmingham community partners. From history and the arts to business, science, culture, and civic life, downtown Birmingham provides countless opportunities for exploration, experiential learning, and discovery.

Most importantly, Discover BHAM helps students see their city in new ways and understand their place within it. Each experience expands their perspective, builds connections between classroom learning and the real world, and encourages them to imagine new possibilities for themselves, their community, and the world around them.