Vanishing History is a documentation project created by 4th and 5th grade students attending the SPARK Talented and Gifted program at Dolby Elementary School in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The 40 students, attending 26 different schools, were brought to Dolby Elementary School through the SPARK program oncez a week for five hours. In addition to scheduled class time, students, teachers, parents and community members participated in Saturday field trips.
As a method for orienting students to the history in their community, students were required to conduct extensive research of historic structures. Students researched sites at the Lake Charles Public Library, Special Collections and Archives.
Research methods included:
- document sifting,
- card catalog searches,
- computer searches,
- and microfilm.
Once sites were sufficiently researched, locations of interest were selected to be photographed. These sites were then visited by student groups and photographed. Teacher Kathie Istre served as mentor, guide and instructor throughout the project.
The students who participated in this project benefited from their participation. The students gained valuable skills in research, photography, computing and public outreach. The community at large benefited from this project by gaining valuable insights into the history of their community and documentation of pieces of the built environment that are in danger of disappearing from the landscape. This documentation, in the form of research and photographs, was donated to McNeese State University to allow for public access to the work.
This project was funded by a grant from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT). Funds from NCPTT were used to purchase four digital cameras, a printer, ink cartridges, photo paper, matt board and miscellaneous exhibit supplies, and to defray field trip costs.
