Published Tuesday, January 28, 2003
By Sherris Moreira-Byers
A reading class project became a family affair when West Middlesex students looked into their roots and created genealogy charts with the help of the Mercer County Genealogical Society.
"I learned a lot about my background. I never knew the people, just that, like, my great-grandfather owned a dairy and helped needy children by giving them free milk," said eighth-grader Lauren Palmer.
"It really opened a lot of doors, I guess you could say. Like, how my grandpa was very generous and did a lot of church activities," said Brielle Wellner, 14. "My parents are divorced and I learned a lot more about my father's side. It really tells you a lot about your background -- it tells you where you actually are."
Teacher and guidance counselor Shirley Donnick, who said she began teaching a reading class for the first time this year, wanted a project that would not only help the kids with their reading, but keep their interest.
"What better way to learn research than study your family? This is something they could walk away with and have forever," she said. "It also creates communication among families."
In the fall, Mrs. Donnick contacted the genealogical society to see if they could help out her class with information about researching their family lines.
"It took a bit of pushing at first, because they had no idea where to start. We explained to them that all they had to do was pick up the phone and call relatives," said Debbie Hoffman, vice president of the society. "The next step was to find obituaries of deceased grandparents and other relatives, because you can get other names from the obits."
"It seemed overwhelming at first, but when the ladies showed them where to find things on the Internet and other ways, they began to bring in old photos and get more excited," Mrs. Donnick said. "As they found out (last) names of other kids in school or at church, they would tell me, 'I didn't know I was related to them.' "
The project also came close to home as many students talked with their parents and began to contact other relatives for information as well.
"At first I thought this was a lot of work for me -- it ended up it was very interesting," said Susan Rzicznek, the mother of Ben, a student in the reading class. "We worked together and visited relatives. Then they would call us up if they found something else. Now they want copies because a lot of our family has passed on."
Ronnie Gaines, 13, thought the project was fun because he learned things he didn't know about his family. "You got to uncover new ideas like where my family came from, like Germany, and all the pictures I found," he said. "I went to the library and got some old obit and it gave me some names and I kept looking. My great-great uncle had a fake leg."
Brittney Ramsey also enjoyed what she uncovered about her family because it enabled her get to know them better. "You find out more about where you came from and your family and you can get closer to your family that way by making it a group project," the 14-year-old said.
Mrs. Donnick agreed.
"At this age, kids are losing touch with their parents, so this was a way to get them involved. It's a good way for the children to interact with their parents," she said.
Contact the Mercer County Genealogical Society at mcgenealogy@hotmail.com or check out their Web site at www.rootsweb.com/~pamercer/
PA