April
11,
2005
March 23 is a rain-swept cold evening. Yet parents, students, teachers and friends pour into the Brielle Elementary School. Inside the spotlight is on the Brielle Class of 2005, eighth graders who have studied South Africa all year and stand by their research projects eager to explain what they have learned.
The research project is a culminating event for the graduating class and an annual tradition at Brielle.
Walking among the displays produces a torrent of commentary delivered with eighth grade exuberance.
Amy explains the evolution of political parties through the country’s first decade of democratic elections, and reviews the complete governmental structure from Pretoria to Cape Town.
Shannon, with a career interest in fashion design, captures the significance of tribal garments while modeling some herself.
Matt and Rich take queues from their web site to discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the contributions of Desmond Tutu.
Samantha, Jen, Melanie and Melissa serve up South African foods, while Tim and Chase amplify their version of protest songs on guitar and drums.
Other topics span mining to viticulture, tourist attractions to tea, Robben Island to economic development, AIDS to post-apartheid schooling and the South Africa Large Telescope to surfing. Topics are as diverse as the country.
All of the students, when asked if they wanted to visit South Africa, indicate that they were inspired by the stories that “Miss Emerson” and “Miss Collins” brought to the classroom. They also enjoyed hearing Lerato Nxomani – visiting the US for the first time – offer her personal account as a 14-year old Cape Town resident.
Trish and Christin share language arts responsibilities for Brielle’s seventh and eighth grades. They joined the 2004 Study Tour with support from the Brielle Foundation, a community fund raising group for school-related projects. Costs for the Study Tour proved to be a small investment with large rewards. The indefatigable duo brought back a wealth of information and insight that they incorporated into their academic plan.
Christin had presented the teachers’ “three-strand” curriculum outline at the SAI Evening of Reflection last October. Students start the year reading Many Stones by Carolyn Coman, a novel loosely based on the murder of Fulbright Scholar Amy Biehl. Next, students choose their own topics for independent research taken from some aspect of the novel, culminating in their displays and presentations for the public. Students also develop web skills and raise funds to support the Save the Children AIDS campaign. The South African theme will become a permanent focus for the research project in future years, and the program may expand to include art and related disciplines.
Seventh graders were encouraged to come to the event to witness what they would be asked to do the following year. Past graduates toured the displays as well, perhaps to support younger siblings, but mostly to chat with their former teachers. Friends and supporters from the South Africa Initiative also came out.
At the end of a long evening, Christin reminded her students that “no displays should leave this room.” Students filed by a desk to drop off thick folders laden with printouts from the Internet and other research materials. They also stacked their prescribed number of index cards (50) listing key findings and citations, neatly wrapped in a rubber band. Research materials would be considered as a significant part of each student’s project grade. But if enthusiasm and discovery were the only criteria, they would all be getting A’s for Africa.
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