Letters

To the editor

Grant will fund historical classroom experiences

To the editor:

The Hillsboro Museums were pleased to be awarded a $1,200 grant from the Hillsboro Community Foundation for a project we’ve been dreaming about for years — a half- or full-day experience in the Kreutziger School on the museum grounds at the culmination of a unit on pioneer/prairie days.

Such a unit is often included in grade three or four curriculum. As a museum board, we are in the process of notifying each elementary school principal in Marion County to alert them to this possible learning experience.

The funds are specifically being used to purchase McGuffey Readers, penmanship materials, arithmetic books, spellers, tin cups, and slates for up to 25 students at one time. Additionally, the museum board is using money from sausage-on-a-stick fundraisers at the annual Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair to fund materials needed beyond the grant award.

We recently toured Prairie Town in Topeka, and they too have such a school setting. Each year more than 1,400 young Topeka students are given the opportunity to “go back in time” as they study for a few hours or a day in a similar setting. Through experience, we know that teaching in a real-life setting becomes a highlight of elementary school for many students.

Mary Regier, chair
Hillsboro Museums Board