MANCHESTER – Fireworks were the only thing missing from the Middle School’s celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary, but there were plenty of reasons to make some noise.
On a recent Friday, all staff members chipped in to make the students remember this important year. History teacher Robert Morris gave The Manchester Times a tour of the school, showing how all of the red, white and blue weaved together into a comprehensive day of lessons that supported each other.
“It’s an immersive experience to see all aspects of the school related to the 250th,” he said.
All subjects are connected on some level. The study of history is more than facts and figures; it’s also about the arts and culture of an era. Our understanding of science evolves throughout history. In math, you solve problems, but these problems come from real world applications. And all of these subjects require language arts.
So it’s not too much of a stretch for every subject to blend with social studies and talk about what the American Revolution meant.
In science, for example, they discussed the experiments of Benjamin Franklin. In math, they analyzed the taxes and tariffs from England. Poetry from the Revolutionary War period was read and discussed in English Language Arts. Social Studies classes engaged in 250th anniversary trivia challenges, and Family and Consumer Sciences classes explored historical food and etiquette.
Even the cafeteria got into it, serving up hamburger and hot dog bars. What says Fourth of July like a barbecue?
In a sixth grade resource room class, students were working on an acrostic poem – that’s when a word is written down the left side of the page, and they build off from each letter. The kids were given AMERICA to work with.
Teacher Darla Lanza said the task helps the kids think of adjectives and use their creativity during April, which is Poetry Month.
When there’s a special event in the school, it always increases students’ interest and helps them focus on tasks, teacher Megan Baumgartner said.
As student Declan Ferguson excitedly offered, “We learned about the Revolutionary War since the beginning of the year!”
A re-enactor stepped into the class to demonstrate what a Revolutionary War Patriot soldier would wear. The students had a lot of questions and it helped give them a visible way to connect to the past.
The re-enactor was actually Mayor Joseph Hankins, and he explained what each part of his uniform meant.
“I have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, which is why I do this,” he told the children.
Later, he would be joined by other members of the New Jersey Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard Regiment, Jay Hershey and Edward Glidden, to interact with students and take part in a presentation.
The High School JROTC presented the colors. The chorus performance scaled from the traditional to the modern – they sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and also sang and danced to selections from “Hamilton.” Patriotic songs like “America the Beautiful” were performed by the band.
Staff members – and even the halls and classrooms – were adorned with red, white, and blue.
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