Exploring Arcadia
Onekama
Students Learn About the Community
A bit of rain could not dampen the
spirits of Onekama’s third grade class on Thursday. The students,
under the direction of Onekama teachers Sally Catanese and Gretchen
Eichberger-Kudlack, spent the day learning about the past, present,
and future of the community of Arcadia, Michigan.
The school bus made four stops during the
day-long adventure. First up was a visit to the Arcadia Fire
Department, where Fire Chief Wes Hull gave the students a tour of
the facility and a close-up look at the rescue equipment. Students
tried on helmets, climbed in the cabs of the rescue vehicles, and
checked out the hoses, ladders, and air tanks.
Next, the students spent time at the
Arcadia Area Historical Museum. Three guides were on hand to give
the students an in-depth look into the history of this fascinating
town. Students learned about its roots as a logging community, as
well as the furniture and mirror factories that once operated near
the lake. They especially enjoyed the area of the museum dedicated
to Harriet Quimby, first lady of flight, who was born in Arcadia.
In the carriage house behind the museum,
students were able to sit at old school desks, turn the crank on a
grain press, and listen to music from a phonograph player. “This is
WAY different from an iPod!” announced third grader Chloe Dutton.
Following the visit to the museum, the
group went to the Arcadia Community Center, which was formerly the
Arcadia School. In a nice escape from the downpour outside, they
were able to have a picnic lunch at the Community Center and then
burn some energy on the Center’s basketball courts.
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The skies cleared just in time for the final
stop of the day: the public access beach in Arcadia on the shores of
Lake Michigan. As an extension of the class’s study of natural
resources, they participated in The Ocean Conservancy’s “International
Coastal Clean-Up Program.” The program is a global effort to help
students understand the scale and consequences of marine pollution by
getting them involved in clean-up and data collection.
Working in small groups, the students covered
a half-mile of Lake Michigan beach. Each group used a tally sheet to
record the types and quantities of debris and litter found on the beach.
The teachers properly disposed of all the trash, and they will send the
results to the Ocean Conservancy as part of a large-scale effort to
track and reduce coastal waste. Onekama students have participated in
the Coastal Clean-Up Program for more than 15 years.
Onekama third grade teacher Sally Catanese,
who lives in Arcadia, explained what she hoped students would take away
from their field trip. “Our objectives are three-fold. From our
experience at the museum, students were able to look into the past and
learn about the rich history of the area. At the Fire Department and the
Community Center, students had the chance to see a community in action
today, working together to make this town the best it can be. And, as
part of the Coastal Clean-Up Program, we were reminded about the
importance of protecting our resources for the future.”
The school bus rolled out of Arcadia at 2:30
p.m., just in time to get students back to school for dismissal. The bus
left filled with students, teachers, and parents who were sandy, wet, a
bit tired, and rich with knowledge about the many treasures to be found
in the small town of Arcadia.
~Megan McCarthy, parent |
