Gene Witt Elementary brings history to life

Two months ago, third-grader Lily Rogers knew little about Helen Keller. 

Since then, she has become "kind of an expert" on Keller, who attended Radcliffe and was the first deaf and blind female to earn a bachelor of arts degree.

"Did you know she also met 15 presidents?" Rogers said to her classmates. "She achieved so much throughout her life."

Her new-found knowledge about Keller is the result of a research project third-graders at Gene Witt Elementary completed for the second year. More than 100 students participated in a Living Museum project, which requires them to pick an important historical figure, teacher Elizabeth Brack said.

Students researched the person and crafted a folder filled with information on that individual's greatest accomplishments, as well as fun facts. Their efforts culminated Oct. 30, when students presented the information to other students and parents while dressed in garb that matched that person's life and achievements.

Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King Jr., Leonardo da Vinci, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and other movers and shakers, have been portrayed by 8- and 9-year olds. The students bring them back to life at the East County school.

Choosing Keller was a decision based on Rogers' family history. Rogers had a great aunt, whom she never met, who was blind.

Rogers has heard stories about her aunt over the years. Learning about Keller made her feel closer to her late aunt.

Other students, such as Kyle Tufariello, chose individuals who had similar interests.

"I chose Henry Ford, because he was the founder of Ford cars," Tufariello said. "I like cars and my dad does, too. My favorite is a 2003 Cadillac, because that's what my dad used to have." 

Brack hopes these lessons will last.

"The students learned research skills and how to present information," Brack said. "They had deadlines and had to learn time management to finish certain parts of their projects on time. Look at them. They learned all those things and they became someone else for a day."

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].