March 11, 2008 – Student projects have been a mainstay of the past four Duanesburg Day celebrations—and this year will be no different.

Visitors to the fifth annual Duanesburg Day on March 29 will find a variety of entertaining and informative projects, including poetry penned by first graders, a paper “freedom quilt” created by third-grade students, and an immigrant song written and performed by fifth-graders.

Kindergarten students learned about the functions of community organizations when law enforcement officers, postal workers and firefighters visited their classes. Student drawings of these important community figures will be on display.

During a special visit from author and illustrator Suzanne Bloom, first-grade students listened to a collection of poems by prominent children’s poets and, with Bloom’s guidance, learned how to write their own personal poetry. Following her visit, students continued honing their skills by writing poems highlighting something special about Duanesburg.

If you’ve wanted to learn more about Quaker Street, Delanson, Esperance and Duanesburg, view the brochures written and published by second-grade students about each of these local communities.

After discussing the history of the Underground Railroad and the use of “freedom quilts” to guide slaves north to freedom, third-grade students made their own paper freedom quilt showing the path from Quaker Depot to Canada.

As part of a two-day residency with Native American author and storyteller James Bruchac, fourth graders listened to a collection of stories featuring scary monsters and important life lessons. They also began brainstorming a list of local landmarks and geographic sites to weave into cautionary tales they wrote in class. Student work will be published on simulated birch bark or other traditional Native American material and will be displayed, along with pictures of students working on the project, during the Duanesburg Day celebration.

As part of the fifth-grade social studies curriculum, students learned about local immigration—why people immigrated to America, what they expected to find, how they got here and where they are now. During a special visit from singer/storyteller Dave Ruch, students wrote and performed a song about immigration. A recording of the students singing will be available for viewing during Duanesburg Day.

At the secondary level, students in technology teacher Jeff Rivenburg's media production course, created a Duanesburg Day commercial, highlighting this year's event, which aired during the school's morning news show. Woodworking classes created signage providing information about the event.

In the event of inclement weather, Duanesburg Day will be rescheduled to Sunday, March 30, from 12 to 5 p.m.

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