Kate Howard & Monica Nair
News Editor & Reporter
On Feb. 29, over the course of three periods, students from Michael Staffaroni’s U.S. history class engaged themselves in various interactive stations portraying topics of the 1920s. The goal of this assignment was for each pair of students to deliver a presentation to their classmates in a creative manner as an alternative to sitting in a classroom.
Mr. Staffaroni stressed how the project required students to conduct thorough research to gain insight into the atmosphere of the 1920s. “The point of the project was to have students answer the essential question: what was the change and conflict of the 1920s and how it connects to the present day,” he said. “Instead of me telling them it was the first modern era, students figured it out themselves by researching cultural topics. It gathered all the students to work together in something they were personally interested in. It got people to think outside the box, and get students to see what teachers do for a day.”
According to junior Madison Mulhern, this project challenged students to get out of their comfort zone and take on the role of a teacher. “This project was completely different than anything that I have ever done in school before because it really forced you to think about every little part of your presentation, so when the actual day rolled around you were not giving your presentation and then running out of things to do,” she said.
Junior Tommy Worcester, who explored the Harlem Renaissance, agreed that the project was unique as it demanded students to work on their presenting skills. “It provided a challenge because it wasn’t a straight forward paper, but rather we assumed the role of a teacher and that in and of itself is different,” he said.
“I really enjoyed the presentation part of the project because it was really fun to go around to every one’s station and see how they decided to run their project and have fun while learning something about the 1920s,” Madison said.
Junior Kerinne O’Connor expressed similar sentiments. “I definitely found this project worthwhile because I was able to share what I had learned, but also learn from other people’s projects,” she said. “It was fun to see how much the 1920s shaped American culture through every one’s different projects.”
Photos by Monica Nair
