Yesterday afternoon I visited a school located in my own neighborhood (only blocks from my house), to see the Rose Festival's Award Winning Living History Program in action!

Actually, I was also fortunate enough to be able to attend last April (2007) in this very same classroom at Peninsula Elementary School. I found it interesting and rewarding to see how this wonderful program has evolved and improved since that time.

The basic players are the same: Angel Ocasio as Master of Ceremonies for the two special visitors -- Georgiana Pittock and Mayor Harry Lane. (Some of you will recall Angel as the CLOWN behind our new Character Clown Corps -- as mentioned in that earlier blog entry.) I'd never have guessed there could be even more to share, but I'd have been wrong!

The students were engaged and excited by their visitors, each ready with a question written on a card for the Q & A afterwards.

The kids had clearly been prepared in advance by their teachers with basic knowledge of the time period -- so I extend kudos to both the educators and the school. (By the way, there were no vacant stares into space and no giggling or talking out of turn. I'd have to split the credit between the fascination over these speakers and the obvious discipline maintained by teachers.)




By the way, teachers and adult visitors were equally impressed by Georgiana and Harry!

    
This program is about more than facts and figures, dates and names. Students are given the chance to interact with these remarkable people who have 'stepped out of history.' You only need to see the hands waving in the air and listen to the spontaneous applause to realize how much fun they're having.

Fun? Learning history?

That's right!

(And an attentive adult might even learn a thing or two -- if they listen closely enough...)

The other schools signed up for visits are in for a big treat!

    

    

-Charlie M. Clint, PRFF Webmaster