Assumption
to Partner with Area Agencies to Bring History to Life;
Awarded $200,000 Grant from National Endowment for
the Humanities
From left: Ellen S. Dunlap, president of
the American Antiquarian Society; Dr. John McClymer, Assumption
College professor of history; Lynne McKenney Lydick as Abby
Kelley Foster; Bill Hatzberger of Old Sturbridge Village; and
Dr. James Caradonio, superintendent of the Worcester Public
Schools. |
May,
2005—On Tuesday,
May 3, 2005, Assumption College hosted a press conference to announce
the awarding of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant,
in the amount of $200,000, to grant partners Worcester Public Schools,
the American Antiquarian Society, Old Sturbridge Village, and Assumption
College. The grant will fund efforts to realign the Worcester Public
Schools’ history and social science curriculum to match the
Massachusetts Frameworks.
This prestigious NEH grant, one of only 18 awarded in the entire
country, will be active until June 2007 while partners design a
collaborative technological historical archive encompassing material
from the Antebellum period of American history (1815-1860). An extensive
website will be built, incorporating thousands of official historical
artifacts into digital media formats, including digital photos,
streaming videos, links, and scans of centuries-old documents. The
majority of the artifact selection will be completed at the American
Antiquarian Society and Old Sturbridge Village, with technical work
done at Assumption and through the WPS. There will also be a “teacher’s
room” on the site, where users will find annotated guides
to materials, along with suggested teaching paths. In addition to
the web-based project, a series of teachers’ workshops will
be held, and curriculum materials will be made available on CDs.
At the press conference, Lynne McKenney Lydick, who delights local
audiences with her moving portrayal of radical abolitionist and
activist Abby Kelley Foster, opened the event with her beseeching,
impassioned account of slavery in the 19th century. Her fervent
performance served as an excellent visual example of the type of
artifact to be included in the web-based project.
Dr. James Caradonio, superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools,
spoke on behalf of his staff, describing his excitement over the
“synergy and energy” now afforded to the Worcester Public
Schools through this partnership. Sharing a personal connection
to his own Ellis Island genealogy research, he expressed his appreciation
to partner with the other organizations to bring history alive for
Worcester students.
”This is indeed a wonderful day for history; the past being
brought to life by the present of technology,” he said.
Dr. John McClymer, Assumption College professor of history, also
articulated his enthusiasm for the new partnership. “This
will allow us to tap into each other’s resources. There are
all of these wonderful things at American Antiquarian Society…they’ve
been working very hard to make these more accessible to more audiences.
The same thing is true for Old Sturbridge Village, who has been
reaching out and trying to get people to understand what it’s
like to live in the 19th century. This is an exciting prospect [for
us] to get together and pool our strengths,” he said of the
project.
Bill Hatzberger of Old Sturbridge Village was equally enthused by
the joint venture. “History needs to become fun, exciting,
and dynamic, and I believe this type of project will allow us to
make it concrete—students can see it, hear it, and touch it.
It is my desire that this grant will allow students to make a connection
between past and present; they will become critical thinkers,”
he said.
Ellen S. Dunlap, president of the American Antiquarian Society,
agreed. “[This] way of putting a new light on these materials
is exciting to us,” she said. “We hope to make history
exciting [for all ages]. It really will be an eye-opening use of
new technology to make old materials accessible to new generations.”
The Worcester Public Schools’ project is to create curricular
materials centered on five "pivotal events": Alexis de
Tocqueville's visit to the United States as recorded in Democracy
in America, the removal of the "civilized tribes" and
the "trail of tears," the Second Great Awakening, the
Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleedin' Kansas, and the Dred Scott Decision.
The school system will organize their work around two core questions:
“Could Americans make their republic work?” and “What
sort of nation would the United States become?” These core
questions directly connect to the We the People initiative of the
National Endowment for the Humanities.
“Our goal is twofold: to provide structured access to the
abundance the web affords and to take full advantage of the flexibility
it permits and which the study of history requires,” the Worcester
Public Schools stated in a press release. “Unlike chemistry,
history has no periodic table. Instead there is a ceaseless stream
of events, some political, some religious, some economic, some artistic,
all requiring different skills. Every teacher knows that no one
approach works for every student. Every teacher would love to empower
students to build upon their own strengths as learners. Structured
access and flexibility through this project can make that possible.”
Assumption College has partnered with the Worcester Public Schools
on numerous occasions over the years. In addition to placing student
teachers in its elementary and secondary schools, Assumption has
teamed with Junior Achievement each February for “Groundhog
Job Shadow Day,” an opportunity for career exploration in
the academic realm for junior high school students. In a scientific
sphere, Assumption has worked with schools to share their expertise
in biology, chemistry, and physics through hands-on activities and
experiments. Assumption’s Reach Out Center volunteers also
mentor young students with the power of reading through the “Book
Buddies” initiative, and students in the College’s Social
and Rehabilitation Services graduate and undergraduate degree programs
have served as guidance-counseling interns and teacher’s assistants
in the schools. Through the Kids 2 College program, Assumption,
along with the other institutions of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium,
provides an early awareness of college culture by inviting sixth-grade
students to fun and informational day visits to campus.
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