As part of their Changemakers unit, Lower School Teachers Kelly Hummel and Stacie Schneider shepherded MICDS Senior Kindergarten students to the Missouri History Museum to participate in the Community Superheroes program. Through interactive storytelling and craft projects, students learned about superheroes in the community and their many helpful jobs, expanding their view of the community and the people who make it special.
The Seeking St. Louis exhibit provided an educational avenue to explore St. Louisans who showed compassion, self-confidence, and leadership in their communities, including two local changemakers: dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham and chiropodist (foot surgeon) Izetta Reddick.
The exhibit also contained interactive information on the lives of the fur traders and explorers, immigrants and factory workers, soldiers, and citizens who contributed to St. Louis’s development. Students were wowed by the sports memorabilia of their favorite St. Louis teams and learned about musicians and writers like Scott Joplin, Chuck Berry, T.S. Eliot, and Kate Chopin.
To close out the visit, students visited the must-see History Clubhouse. This hands-on space contains re-creations of iconic buildings up to 15 feet tall. Students took pretend rides on a trolley, «served» food at a café during the 1904 World’s Fair, piloted a steamboat on the Mississippi River, and played house in the ancient city of Cahokia. Period costumes and a puppet show provided a dazzling finish to a day of learning about the people who make St. Louis the vibrant community it is.
Good job, young SK changemakers, for expanding your knowledge about your St. Louis community!