Tulsa Will Rogers Students Visit Outsiders House

Will Rogers Middle School students enter the world of the characters they read about in The Outsiders, during a trip today to the Outsiders House and Museum by over 200 sixth grade scholars. The trip, made possible with funding by the Will Rogers High School Community Foundation, was an immersive learning experience that included reading and discussing the book, The Outsiders and watching the movie of the same title. The Outsiders was written by Tulsa Will Rogers Hall of Fame aluma S. E. Hinton. Photo: Patrick McNicholas

Over 200 sixth grade students from Tulsa’s Will Rogers Middle School visited the Outsiders House and Museum 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.” She added, “As a school, Will Rogers strives to connect classroom learning to the real world and this field trip has just done that for our students.”

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.

Will Rogers Middle School teacher Sandy Pleasant addresses the media at the Outsiders House and Museum during a trip to the house by over 200 sixth grade students. The trip, made possible with funding by the Will Rogers High School Community Foundation, was an immersive learning experience that included reading and discussing the book, The Outsiders and watching the movie of the same title. The Outsiders was written by Tulsa Will Rogers Hall of Fame aluma S. E. Hinton. Photo: John Beasley

The Outsiders House and Museum tour guides welcome over 200 Will Rogers Middle School sixth grade students during a field trip today. The outing, made possible with funding by the Will Rogers High School Community Foundation, was an immersive learning experience that included reading and discussing the book, The Outsiders and watching the movie of the same title. The Outsiders was written by Tulsa Will Rogers Hall of Fame aluma S. E. Hinton. Photo: John Beasley