Awesome Arcadia!
Onekama
Students Learn About the Arcadia Community
Arcadia, Michigan
is a serene, beautiful town that rests along the
Lake Michigan shoreline. It is a community with a
rich and interesting history.
On
Friday, September 21, 2012, the third grade class of
Onekama Consolidated Schools had the opportunity to
spend the day learning about the past, present, and
future of Arcadia. They were led by their teacher,
Sally Catanese, who is a longtime resident of the
community.
The first stop of the day was the Arcadia Area
Historical Museum. Volunteers were on hand to lead
students through the various exhibits. They
especially enjoyed the area of the museum dedicated
to Harriet Quimby, first lady of flight, who was
born in Arcadia.
“I
liked learning about The Minnehaha,” said third
grader Evan Scarlata. “It was a REALLY big ship that
sunk right in the water by Arcadia a long time ago.”
After the museum, students had lunch at the Pleasant
Valley Community Center, which was the former
Arcadia School building and now houses the community
center and the Arcadia Library. Then, it was off to
the Arcadia Ice Cream Shoppe, where students enjoyed
dessert at the old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
“Best part of the day? Definitely the mango ice
cream!” announced Madalyn Fox.
The final stop of the day was 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 to record the types
and quantities of debris and litter found on the
beach. Their teacher properly disposed of all the
trash, and then sent 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.
It was a full day for the students, who left with
sandy feet, satisfied stomachs, and an appreciation
for the many treasures to be found in the small town
of Arcadia.
“My favorite part of the day was the room in the
museum at the very top of the building,” said
student Sophie Wisniski, referring to a room
accessed by a spiral staircase on the third floor of
the Arcadia Area Historical Museum. “From up there,
you could see the whole beautiful town.”
