Students, faculty, and community members gathered on campus earlier this month for a hands-on planting of amaranth—an event that brought together history, culture, and learning in a tangible way.
Building on earlier classroom exploration, the planting invited participants to engage directly with a crop that holds deep cultural and historical significance, particularly in Indigenous communities of the Americas. The event created space not only to learn about amaranth’s past, but also to consider its relevance today.
Students helped prepare the soil and plant seeds while hearing from organizers about the plant’s origins and its role in traditional food systems and cultural practices. For many, the experience connected academic study with lived understanding.
The project is connected to UWC‑USA’s International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, where interdisciplinary learning encourages students to explore how history and culture inform creative expression. In the classroom, students have been studying amaranth through both historical and artistic lenses—examining its symbolism, its suppression during colonization, and its resurgence in contemporary culture. The initiative also reflects a broader commitment at UWC‑USA to experiential education—grounding complex global themes in shared, local experiences.