On May 31 and June 1, 2023, fourth-grade students from the Ray School in Hanover visited Webster Cottage with their teachers and aides. Scott and Lindsay McClure Miller of World Story Exchange designed a program for the children. The students were asked to study artifacts in the cottage and then draw them. Our volunteers answered questions from the students about their chosen items. 4th graders study state history and this was part of their curriculum. The students were learning town history and learning to appreciate their environment.
Then in September and October of 2023, a new class of 4th graders participated in a 5-class project focused on the historical exploration of local watersheds and surrounding Old Grove trees. Students used field notes and photography to document their findings. This was all led by World Story Exchange as our consultants. As 4th grade teacher Emily Clarkson wrote, the students “learn to explain the relationship between the land and the people, both presently and historically. This understanding also leads 4th graders to wonder about the future of the land and how people may affect it.” Scott Miller of World Story Exchange guided the field trips to the Connecticut River area and worked with the students for 5 weeks to create their projects. At the end, he arranged all the student photographs and writing and mounted them in the 4th grade corridor to be seen by all for several months. Then the exhibit was mounted at the Mascoma Bank and is now at the children’s area of Howe Library in Hanover.
We thank the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation for funding this exciting exploration of local history.