Students at F.E. Burleson Celebrate Alabama’s Bicentennial
By Dr. Trish Hughes
F.E. Burleson is one of only four schools in Morgan County named by Governor Kay Ivey as a Bicentennial School. With the recognition came a grant that allows them to participate in the celebration of Alabama’s 200th anniversary. Students had their first big celebration with help from community and parent volunteers in a recent event that looked at the period from 1819 to 1869.
Students spent the day – many of them in period costume – moving from one interactive learning center to the next experiencing facets of life from the 50-year time of the 1800s. In their classrooms, students learned how to make butter from cream by shaking the cream in a jar. They were able to sample their work by spreading the butter on crackers.
At one of the learning stations, they heard about and saw many of Alabama’s symbols – from the state flag to the state fish. They also learned facts from the state’s history in this session.
Three stations took advantage of Burleson’s creative and innovative outdoor classroom spaces. Students learned about farming practices and experienced planting seeds at one of Burleson’s gardening spaces. In another space, they sat in the gazebo as one of Burleson’s faculty members shared a book about Alabama.
A favorite for many students was the exhibit of live animals that was displayed next to the outdoor learning space. Students were able to see and pet the farm animals and learn the role that they played for the farm family and the overall economy of the state.
In another session, students learned about Alabama’s first constitution. They experienced writing with a quill and learned how a quill was made. They signed their agreement to be a good citizen of Alabama.
A Burleson faculty member shared a book on “Alabama, My Sweet Home” with students in the outdoor learning space.
Students compared their school experience with classrooms of the 1800s in a classroom setting that simulated the classroom of the 1800s. They learned of classroom practices and facilities for the time period.
When students were in their regular classroom setting, they participated in learning activities that reinforced the hands-on experiences of their interactive learning. Several classes could be heard singing folk songs of the early 1800s if a session ended a bit early.
All the Burleson learning community is looking forward to the next Bicentennial celebration that will focus on the 50-year period from 1870 to 1920. Students will be singing period songs at the school’s Winter Wonderland event held the evening of November 29th. They will construct a state flag from food products, and there is talk of a wax museum of famous Alabamians!
If you have expertise in the time period or the skills listed and would like to volunteer, please contact the Bicentennial Committee chairperson, Jessica Halverson, at Jessica.halverson@hartselletigers.org.
