School desks at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum

W. Parsons Todd valued preserving the history in his community for others to learn about. It's your turn to do the same with your school's history. 

First, you may need to learn more about the history of your school. Historians and history researchers use a few methods to gather information about a topic they are researching. See how many of the methods below are useful to you.

Archeologists study human history through the analysis of artifacts and physical remains.  A lot of information can be learned by looking at the physical evidence left for future researchers. 

At your school you may want to look around for the following: 

Written records left behind can be a wealth of information about a place's past. Archivists and librarians research and maintain written records for cities, states, buildings, etc. To learn more about your school you may try reading some of the following written records: 

Oral history is the study and method of gathering the the voices and stories of people. Typically this work is down with audiotapes or videotapes. To learn more about your school see who you could talk to who may know about your school's history.

As you see which research methods prove helpful for the information available about your school, remember to take notes. This information will be used in later activities in this Resource Kit.

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Standards for Student Engagement: Preserving Your School's History

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework