EMS kicked off its Centennial celebration when a large crowd gathered on October 12, 2017 to break ground for a new elementary school facility, located adjacent to Main Campus in the former MennoMedia building. After shovels turned dirt in the morning, teachers and staff celebrated “History Day” by creating 15 learning centers for students which were focused on our Centennial theme.
History Day activities were as varied as the faculty in our school. Librarian Julianne Ross ’01 invited experts to help teach students the heritage art of quilting. Music Director Jared Stutzman taught students about the development of hymns from the Reformation to the present. Principal Phil Landes ’81 invited owners of vintage cars to bring them on campus so students could catch a glimpse into earlier eras of the school’s history. History teacher Randa Hendricks ’96 told stories about EMHS life in the 1990s, when she was a student at the school. Former history teacher James Rush taught students about the first fifty years of the school, while first year Art teacher Malea Gascho provided materials for students to create a mural of the school’s Centennial logo.
Vision for History Day, now in its fourth year, came from EMS social studies teachers. In 2014, students learned about the Burning of the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War. In 2015, history teachers created learning stations to teach students about the ‘50s and ‘60s in the US, and last year focused on the French and Indian War. Many juniors and seniors joined in with teachers to help plan and lead family groups with students from third to 12th grade.
To create a unique one-of-a-kind event like History Day is a testament to the creative willingness of the entire K-12 faculty to use innovative methods of teaching that enliven our academic program. With the elementary school groundbreaking in the morning and student–painted parking lot murals that envisioned our future in the afternoon, History Day was a fun beginning to our four-day Centennial Homecoming celebration.
