Elementary School Students Win Prestigious State Awards

Stewart School researchers chosen for the 2007 Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 4-5, at the September Garden City School Board meeting, where they presented selected portions of their PowerPoint project, The Birth of Stewart School, with (back row) Teacher Dolores Volpe; School Board President Kenneth J. Monaghan, left; and Superintendent Robert Feirsen.

The Board of Regents and the New York State Archives have selected Stewart School students Leila Balady, Michael Collins, Alix Della Penna, Kate DeMarco, Drusilla Falco, Daniel Fortino, Patrick Gerspach, Matthew Greene, Devon Ialenti, Brian Nicholas, Brian Shulman, Rosie Tomao, Michaela Fitzpatrick, Timothy Foxen, Kerri Heuser, Nicole Horn, Timothy Josephs, Emily King, Fiona MacLeod, Daniel Pietromonaco, and Morgayne Rix as the recipients of the 2007 Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 4-5 for their entry The Birth of Stewart School.

Using documents from their district's records management officer and with help from Garden City Village Historian John Ellis Kordes and other village personnel, as well as interviews with former students and staff members, the students successfully researched and presented answers to such questions as: Why was the school built? How much did it cost? Who built it? The students compared historic maps, blueprints, school board records and receipts with current photographs and architectural evidence.

Stratford School researchers chosen for a certificate from the NYS Board of Regents and the NYS Archives for their project, The History of Stratford Avenue School: The 1970s -The 2000s, at the September Garden City School Board Meeting, where they screened a segment of the documentary, with (back row) Teacher Richard Maddenm right; School Board President Kenneth J. Monaghan, left; and Superintendent Robert Feirsen.

According to the judges, the students "presented the answers to their mystery questions in a well thought out, organized, visually pleasing PowerPoint presentation which clearly demonstrated each child's contribution. The project demonstrated the students' interest and enthusiasm for the project and their pride in their school and community."

Framed certificates and a cash gift will be presented to the fourth and fifth grade Stewart School students at a luncheon ceremony at the State Education Department in Albany on October 22. The students' teacher, Dolores Volpe, will also be recognized at the luncheon.

Another historical research project still underway at Stratford School, The History of Stratford Avenue School: The 1970s -The 2000s, was singled out for a certificate in the same competition. Fourth graders in Richard Madden's fourth grade class started the project, a documentary, in the 2005-2006 academic year. The following school year, the students continued the documentary as fifth graders under Mr. Madden's direction.

They researched the history of the school by sifting through newspaper articles, school yearbooks, the Bond Summary for construction, and a book published to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary in 1980. They also conducted and recorded interviews with former and current faculty members and alumni; analyzed, sorted, and labeled hundreds of photos; wrote scripts that were edited by former teachers and Mr. Kordes; created storyboards; chose music; and assembled the documentary using editing software.

A ten-minute segment of the project edited in 2007 was submitted to the NYS Archives competition. The honorees are Sydney Adams, Brian Bingham, David Butler, Michael Catalano, Julia Dignam, Hannah Eilbeck, Caitlin Gallant, Justin Gong, Genny Halka, Will Harrington, Katherine McGannon, Kristen Noonan, Melissa Ross, Danny Simmons, Michael Sullivan, Sara Tudisco, and Nick Vernice.

This year, the students in Mr. Madden's fifth grade class are continuing primary research on several topics that will conclude the documentary, and they will produce the program's opening and closing segments.

Both the Stewart and Stratford projects began to commemorate major anniversaries: The 70th anniversary of the opening of Stewart School in 1937 and the 75th anniversary of the opening of Stratford Avenue School in 1930.

Named for Regent Emerita Laura Chodos and her husband Dr. Robert Chodos, who created an endowment to encourage the educational uses of historical records in the classroom, the Student Research Awards are presented annually to a student or group of students in New York State who have made outstanding use of historical records in their research. The awards recognize student work for demonstrating excellence based on specific criteria: using a variety of historical records, drawing on information from those records, and interpreting and integrating that information with creativity and imagination.