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Georgetown Central School is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Mrs. Saufler's fourth grade class and Mrs. Morissette's second grade
class from Georgetown, Maine chose category 8: Local Music and Art
Forms to share and unite our community with the world. Through
telephone and/or letter invitations we invited community members to
our classroom. We interviewed 18 people and we learned about
fascinating and unique art forms common to our community on the coast
of Southern Maine. After many days of interviews and hands - on
experiences in the arts our guests shared with us, we wrote our web
pages. We used Claris Home Page to type our information to
share with the world.
1. We entered our Web site in CyberFair Category: 8 Local Music and Art
Forms
2. Description of "Our Community"
The Greater Bath Area includes several towns on the coast of Southern Maine. Our special music and art friends that we interviewed live in the Greater Bath Area, these towns include - Georgetown, Arrowsic, Phippsburg, and Bath, Maine. This community is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and/or the Kennebec River. Pine trees, rocky shores, sea birds, lighthouses, and moose are typical sights of our area. There are many, many artists living in this area due to the natural beauty found here. Thousands of tourists visit our community each year so they can enjoy the sandy beaches, rocky coasts, hiking and biking trails, and natural beauty of our community.
3. Summary of Our Project
We worked with local artists and musicians to SHARE and UNITE our community with the world. We did this in several ways:
After all of the visits and interviews were completed, we wrote thank you notes and letters to all of the people we interviewed. In the letters we asked them if they felt that this project helped to share and unite the school community with the community. You may read the letters they sent to us as you continue reading our web pages.
4. Our Internet Access
Georgetown Central School has a 56k line connected to the University of Maine in Orono. We have 30 Macintosh computers, all are hooked up to the Internet. Students use the Internet in Grades K-6 to research and find information in their classrooms.
5. Problems We Had To Overcome
We had no problems. The entire process and project has been very educational and rewarding.
6. Our Project Sound Bite
We feel so fortunate to be a part of such a fine community. We
have met new and exciting friends because of this project. Together
we have been able to "Share and Unite" the local artists and
musicians of our community to our school and to the world!
Project Elements
This section explains the project elements found in the CyberFair Project Assignment.
1. How did your activities and research for this International School CyberFair '99 project support your required course work and curriculum requirements?
Our involvement in CyberFair '99 fit quite well into our required
school curriculum guidelines for computer technology, research
skills, the writing process, social studies, the arts, language arts,
spelling and our reading curricula. Through this project we
discovered that research can be FUN! Meeting and interviewing our new
friends from our community has been very exciting and rewarding!
Learning about the vast amount of technology available is very
rewarding. We will be able to use it for the rest of our lives. The
huge amount of research we have done and the exciting information we
have gathered about our community has been very satisfying for all of
us. We now feel we are an important part of the Greater Bath Area.
The ties we have made with this community will always be a part of
us.
2. What information tools and technologies
did you use to complete your CyberFair project?
Our class used a variety of informational tools and technologies
to produce this project. We used telephones to gather information and
interview people, a VCR and tapes, tape recorders, and cameras and
the Ofoto to scan to edit
pictures.
3. In what ways did you act as
"ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both
on-line and in person?
We have become excellent "ambassadors " from Georgetown Central School because of this project. After creating an interview sheet, we each chose a community member that had a special art or music form to invite into our classroom and interview. We telephoned the people, set up conference times, and welcomed them to our classroom. Using our interview sheets, we gathered important information about our specialist The local specialists were very cooperative and excited to see the "young people" of the community taking an interest in the opportunities our community has to offer. They were very impressed with the fact that we would be creating web pages about the towns of this area to share with the world. As you will read from their reactions, the community people were very honored, pleased, and excited to be a part of this web project. They were very pleased that the children were willing to learn about them and their special art forms. Again, please see the quotes from the letters we received about the share and unite portion of this project.
4. What has been the impact of your project
on your community?
Our involvement in CyberFair has made a huge impact in our community. We would like to share some quotes from the letters we received from the local artists and musicians we interviewed:
"I find your enthusiasm and curiosity very stimulating! Through your project, you are opening classroom walls. You are bringing in pieces of 'life beyond school'. For me, it was fun to share my work with you and to show that the creative can blend with the more specific skills you are learning now. I use math everyday- as I design, order materials and construct the products I make. Also, since learning never stops, I am constantly reading as I research new techniques." Marjorie Shapiro, Marine Canvas Fabricator
"Our involvement in this project showed us these things: 1. That quality toys can be made with simple methods. 2. There is enjoyment and education playing with interactive toys that do not need batteries or electricity. 3. Your classes showed us that our choice of toys was correct. They provided entertainment and were fun to look at and play with." Jerome, Joyce and Kathleen Hoeschen, Toy Makers
"Kids are fun, life is tough and they must learn. If printing t-shirts helped, I said yes to your project. You have a fine school and lots of community talent in Georgetown. Expose those kids to what there is!" Wilhelmina Phinney, Fisherman T-shirts
"I hope that my "impact" on the students was to share my boyhood experiences with music and the life-long pleasure music can bring. Further, I tried to leave the idea that a musical experience is beneficial whether or not you go on to make it part of your life because it demonstrates that worth-while goals take effort, patience and persistence. I benefited from the session by observing the level of musical knowledge already learned by the students and was very pleased at the meaningful questions that were asked. I was honored to be asked to participate. You were attentive, courteous and well prepared. John Teller, Musician
"My involvement in this project with the Georgetown School children of grades 4 and 2 has made me,as a Senior Citizen and a Quilter, much more aware of the Internet and Cyber Space. It has helped me connect with the children, teachers, and parents within the community as we have worked on our projects. The children's project and interest in Cyber Space became part of my project. Quilting and my project became part of theirs.(I found this very interesting- the great difference in age of myself and the pupils, and the newest of technology. Quilting is one of the oldest of original American craft. This melding of projects resulted in a wall hanging. A most rewarding project of "share and unite" for me, personally, has been "to be there" with the pupils of grade 2 and their teacher, Mrs. Morissette, as they made a quilt. "Scenes of Georgetown "- (the pupils class theme). Each pupils original design was cut and sewn by the pupil. It is beautiful and I'm so proud of the boys and girls of grade 2, and so will the parents and the community when it is put on display. Elaine Holt, Quilter
" I feel creativity is an essential ingredient of life, because it stimulates our character. Therefore, it is extremely beneficial when "the arts" are introduced to us in our youth. My mixed-media glass work introduced the students to my three-dimensional concept in the cool glass medium. This work revealed an alternative approach to one-dimensional cool glass art." Clare Bridge, Mixed Media Glass work
As you can see, the community is very excited about our project! We have established new working relationships with people in the community through the research and information we have gathered. We feel fortunate to have made so many new friends in our community!
We feel confident that people around the world will want to visit
our fine community in Southern Maine.
5. How did your project involve other
members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
This project would not be possible without the help of the community members. Our community's artists and musicians were very enthused and open to our invitations! They welcomed us to their homes and establishments, they came into our classroom, and they helped us with information that has created these great web pages. Many of the people were thrilled that second and fourth graders took an interest in our town. They gave us names of other people to contact so we can learn more about art and music in our area. Every person we contacted to come to our classroom and speak to us came with great pride and enthusiasm. It has been a wonderful time for our community and our classroom to "Share and Unite!"
6. Discoveries, Lessons and
Surprises
We are amazed with the new knowledge we now have about art and music in our area. Each specialty we learned about taught us new facts.We learned many lessons. We learned that to be an artist or a musician you must work from the heart, have a vision, and practice! We now know that a marine canvas fabricator has not only a unique job but a dangerous job. We also know that all types of found junk can be used to create beautiful art, this is called mixed-media art. We found out that lobster claws, crab claws, mussel shells, and periwinkle shells can be made into BEAUTIFUL jewelry. We now know that we can go to the beach, collect seaweed and form it into lovely pieces of art. We also learned that an oud is an instrument that is more like a violin than a guitar. And that it is a Middle East instrument. We learned that sailors of long ago sang songs to help pass the time of day and make their work seem easier. We discovered that a huge slab of rock can be transformed into a salamander and that polished aluminum becomes Pegasus emerging from the floor. We learned that there is a tremendous amount of research before you begin to create a model of a boat.
This entire experience has been one discovery, lesson, and surprise after another! And we aren't stopping here!
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Updated March 31, 1999.