From Home to Museum: How do you Make a Museum?
Student Engagement: Preserving Your School's History
Created by Macculloch Hall Historical Museum
Guiding Question
How is history preserved?
School desks at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum
Your Turn
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.
"Archeology"
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:
- Any plaques or memorial signs about the school's founding or important events
- Trophies or awards to students, faculty, and staff
- Updated additions onto an older building
- The architecture of the school - is it more modern or more historic looking?
Archival Research
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:
- Explore your school's website - they may have a "History" section or an "About Us" section has information about the school's past
- Yearbooks- Can you find the oldest yearbook for your school? What does it have inside?
- Newspaper articles about your school. These can be found online or maybe your school has a library or place that keeps physical newspaper articles about the school
Oral Histories
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.
- History teacher or history club
- School librarian
- Teacher or staff who has been there for many years
- Principal
- Family member who may have attended the school in the past
Putting it Together
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.
Points to consider as you research:
- Are there any big events that are standing out to you as important to your school's history?
- Do you have any notable alumni who went to your school?
- Has your school won any awards or sports championships?