History is coming alive in teacher Don Daoust’s classroom at Jackson High School.
The students aren’t simulating events of the past, but rather they are hearing about them firsthand, with the help of Merrill Gardens residents.
Daoust’s two U.S. history classes have collected information about the Depression and World War II through classroom lectures, books and senior citizens who actually experienced it.
“That’s what’s going to make history come alive for them,” Daoust said.
But the students are not the only ones who have benefited from this new-found partnership.
“The focus was that both groups would be learning,” said Jane Meyers-Bowen, community relations director at Merrill Gardens.
So far, so good.
Students completed a project on the Depression earlier this month, after 14 Merrill Gardens residents visited Jackson and answered questions about living during the Depression.
Daoust’s students were allowed to present the information in a number of ways. Some chose to write a paper, others created slides using PowerPoint or made a scrapbook or memoir of a person during the time period. The students shared their projects with the seniors April 21 at Jackson.
Maxine Monkman, a Merrill Gardens resident, wrote a book about her family’s hardships during the Depression. Titled “One of the Harper Girls,” it, as well as the stories she shared at Jackson, became a source for many of Daoust’s students.
Monkman said she enjoys visiting with the students.
“We hear so many things about teenagers, but you guys are a breath of fresh air,” she told a handful of history students.
Merrill Gardens residents split up and shared their stories with small groups of students, allowing the high school juniors an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the time periods.
For Dee Smith, who served as a resident ambassador from Merrill Gardens on the project, the time spent with Jackson students was valuable.
“They seemed sincerely interested in meeting us,” Smith said. “They really listened.”
The students likewise enjoyed their time with the seniors.
Dan Paradise, 17, and Sean Kelly, 16, said they felt they learned and remembered more about the period than if they had only heard lectures and read textbooks.
“It’s interesting to hear firsthand accounts,” Kelly said.
For Nataliya Yarovinska, 16, history had been a subject that didn’t interest her much. It seemed to be mostly about dates, she said, but that was before she spent time with the Merrill Gardens residents.
“My whole paper is about how talking to them changed my view on history,” Yarovinska said.
Talking with the seniors gave history depth, she said.
“You can get stuff from books, but you can’t really feel it,” Yarovinska said.
Principal Terry Cheshire has wanted to form a partnership with Merrill Gardens since he arrived at Jackson in the fall. Things fell into place quickly, he said, after he spoke with Meyers-Bowen and then learned Daoust had similar ideas.
The time spent together, he said, seems to be a powerful learning tool for the students.
Cheshire said the evaluations students completed on the unit were some of the best he’s seen.
“Almost everyone of those kids said what a great lesson it was and how it’s impacted them,” he said.
Cheshire and Meyers-Bowen both said they hope a partnership between the Jackson and Merrill Gardens communities strengthens through this project. The senior citizens may soon be attending a Jackson baseball game, Cheshire said, and Meyers-Bowen said she hopes the residents can attend concerts and other events.
Cheshire is hopeful that after this history project, Jackson and Merrill Gardens’ partnership will take off.
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