On Tuesday April 26 we will launch this year's oral history curriculum project. On Thursday April 28 the students will complete their interviews of 4 amazing individuals who are telling their stories to the students. The focus of the story telling is African Americans' involvement in the maritime trades. The participants this year are:
Olive Fulton, a niece of North Pole Explorer Matthew Henson. She told here memories of Matthew Henson's life and adventures with Admiral Peary and her work with Dr. Allen Counter of Harvard University to honor Matthew with a monument in Arlington National Cemetery.
Chuck Shaw, a fifth generation Bostonian. He will engage the students in stories about his family and is great at pulling his family history together with Revolutionary War history. The students studied early U.S. History this year and his stories are an excellent way to reinforce their academic work and put it in a personal cultural context.
Jackie Cox-Crite, widow of the famous Boston artist Allan Rohan Crite. Allan was also a draftsperson and illustrator at the Charlestown Navy Yard. She will bring some of his old drafting tools and illustrations. She offers a great connection for the students who have all been building boats this past winter and will visit the Navy Yard in May. It was a great way to connect the Navy Yard and their studies of U.S. History while putting their boat building activity into a historical context.
Maria Mendes-Hendricks,
Maria Mendes is a local Actor, Activist and Interpreter. She is a member of the Schooner Ernestina Commission and is actively working to get the Schooner Ernestina sailing again. The Ernestina is a National Historical Landmark at 115 years old. Next to the USS Constitution, there is no other non-replica, active vessel in the country known to match her historical importance. Marias' grand-father was a proud Cape Verdean man - Captain Henrique Mendes who acquired the schooner in 1947. He brought countless Cape Verdeans to the United States for many years. Her father, the late Joseph Mendes, a merchant marine, was 25% owner of the Ernestina in 1950. She is very proud of her maritime heritage, coming from a long-line of seafarers, whalers and packet-traders. Maria is looking forward to getting her able-bodied seaman papers so that when the Ernestina sails again, she can be the 3rd generation of the Mendes family to proudly bring her home to Cape Verde one day. We are very happy to have Maria back this year to share her history with our students
Contact
John Rowse, Executive Director, Boston Family Boat Building, 617-595-8557
As the organizer of this project I have I been so inspired by all of participants total engagement with the students and the students' responses. One student's comment covers my feelings as well: "That was really cool!" I doubt he says the same when reading about history in his social studies book. A community of amazing folks sharing their life experience seems as valuable as any lesson you could offer from a book.
The introductory interviews are on April 26. We do a second more in depth round of interviews on April 28. All interviews are at the Dennis Haley Elementary School, 570 American Legion Highway, Roslindale, MA
I will post some of the student reflections at a later date.
Boston Family Boat Building brings critical academic subjects and skills -- math, science, social studies, spatial thinking, reading and writing -- to life with experiential learning opportunities for school children. It is a unique program serving Boston Public Schools elementary school children that draws on the outstanding natural features of Boston and its rich history. Now in its fourth year, the program works with 4th and 5th graders to learn navigation skills in the Harbor, construct a seaworthy 10-foot wooden rowing vessel and learn about earlier Bostonians, particularly African Americans, who worked in the maritime trades. Check out all our programs to bring exciting experiential learning opportunities to students of the Boston Public Schools at Boston Family Boat Building is supported by volunteers, individual donors and funding from The Jane B. Cook 1983 Charitable Trust, Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Fund, Amelia Peabody Foundation, Wellington Management Foundation, The Robbins - de Beaumont Foundation, CHT Foundation, Schrafft Charitable Trust and David Greenewalt Charitable trust |
