Freedom Trail Scholars visit to Wrentham's Delaney School

“Lobsterbacks, go home!  Lobsterbacks, go home!” chants could be heard from down the hall as Wrentham’s Delaney School third grade students took on roles during their Freedom Trail Foundation Scholars program Wednesday, March 27.

Presented by the Massachusetts Teachers Association in partnership with the Freedom Trail Foundation, this interactive history program helps educate school children in and around Boston and throughout Massachusetts.

The Freedom Trail Scholars program takes our nation’s history and fights for freedom to the classroom and has impacted the lives of over 18,000 students. The program provides a one-hour traveling class consisting of two actors taking on multiple roles to bring the major events of the American Revolution in Boston to life. The program incorporates students into the program, letting them interact with the performers, read portions of important documents and declarations, and react to the historic events. A question-and-answer session follows each presentation. Educators also have access to the Freedom Trail Scholars resource guide, which includes lesson plans and quizzes to help evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Designed to match Massachusetts’ curriculum standards, it is an effective and fun way to help students learn and remember our history.

“The students who saw the performance loved it!  It was very lively, engaging, and fun,” said Kelly Green, a teacher at the James F. Condon School in Boston. “All three topics (Boston Massacre, Tea Party, Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride) were seamlessly covered. I would enthusiastically recommend this to another teacher. Thank you very much!”

The Scholars program will make many visits during the 2012–2013 school year because of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the Foundation. Additional support comes from John Hancock Financial and the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati for the program. Organizations and companies are encouraged to sponsor Scholars program visits to schools in the communities they serve.

For more information regarding the Scholars program, including school visits and community support, call The Freedom Trail Foundation’s Angie Jepson Marks, Scholars program director, at 617-357–8300, extension 203, or contact her by email at angie@thefreedomtrail.org.