Between April 8th-12th, CHS students were given an opportunity to experience history in an immersive way, and even see history come to life!
“History is for human self-knowledge … the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is.” –R. G. Collingwood (English philosopher)
Students and staff at CHS had an opportunity to learn about our history during the WWII era in a very powerful way this week.
Kennesaw State University’s Museum of History & Holocaust Education provides traveling exhibits free to schools. The CHS media center had arranged for three exhibits to be available to students this week, and each exhibit includes between 8-10 beautiful free-standing panels of information that provides a deeper look at different events.
This is the first of two sessions the museum has arranged with our media specialists. The next is set for May following EOC testing.
The exhibits available to students this week included:
· Tuskegee Airmen – The Segregated Skies of WWII
· Rosie the Riveter – Women in WWII
· Georgia Journeys – Legacies of WWII
Living History Guides Day
On Thursday, April 11th, the media center additionally hosted a very special event bringing historical events, people, and experiences to life with their living history guides day!
Students were led through exhibits by real figures from history, played by students in character, who each provided a lively presentation on their role in history! Click through the slideshow to see more!
Ms. Forman, 9th grade ELA teacher, brought her classes to the media center to provided an truly interactive learning experience:
Though we are a literature class, we have spent most of the year discussing segregation and discrimination in a variety of forms. Over the course of both semesters, we have read articles and viewed TED talks exploring various forms of discrimination. We were particularly interested in the Tuskegee exhibit because we had previously discussed both the Tuskegee Airmen and the notorious Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. We are also beginning our Holocaust/WW2 unit soon, so we were eager for the opportunity to experience the KSU exhibit and continue building background knowledge. We learned from both the information on display and the live history guides. As a whole, the class most enjoyed interacting with the students acting as subject matter experts, especially those who were “in character.”
Overall, my students were amazed at the challenges overcome by those profiled, and were particularly moved by the Georgia connections. The photographs of the segregated theater entrance and the Greyhound waiting areas from locations as nearby as Rome, Georgia made the stories they’ve read and heard this year much more “real” to them.
We are looking forward to seeing the Holocaust exhibit in May.
Ms. Wilkie added, “My classes enjoyed the museum exhibits. We used it as an intro to our WWII unit, so it was perfect timing!”
A big shout out goes to the students who volunteered to play historical parts. These include:
Anna Catherine Ulm Red Cross Nurse
Morgan Feltham Mildred Harnack
Jake Stevens Norbert Friedman
Nikolas Lagesen Tuskegee Airman
Caitlin Apone Rosie the Riveter
Regan Bristol Rosie the Riveter
Charlotte Starosciak Rosie the Riveter
Chase Whatley Tuskegee Airman
Morgan Ayala Violette Szabo
Judith Tucker Rosie the Riveter
Daniela Cardona Nancy Harkness Love
Olivia Wenclawiak Rosie the Riveter
Ashlynn Kim Louvinia Jordan
Liberty Reilly Violette Szabo
Noah Reyna Norbert Friedman
Our media center goes to great lengths to provide outstanding learning opportunities like these for students–from breakout rooms, to maker spaces, ipad stations, presentation collaboration areas, meeting areas, and more.
More information about this event and the upcoming exhibit will be gathered soon!
THE WARRIOR WORD 