Bringing History to Life at Beverly Manor Middle School

Ben Coffey and Holden Sandridge, seventh graders at Beverly Manor Middle School, both agree. "This opportunity allows everyone to experience something instead of just sitting in the classroom."

Woodrow Wilson, played by Judd Bankert, came to Beverly Manor Middle School for the sixth year to hold a mock press conference. All of Beverly Manor's 7th grade students, who are currently finishing their study on World War 1 and President Wilson, attended the conference. Twenty-two of them, however, were selected by teachers to be the "press", and each were allowed to ask President Wilson one question of their choosing. "They got the benefit of having the additional research. We spent time giving them background. The question was totally theirs. They had ownership of the questions," said Mrs. Scarlett Kiser, the 7th grade Social Studies teacher who organized the event.

These press conferences have been a Beverly Manor tradition for six years. It was originally organized as a larger event for all of the local middle schools to participate, but as Beverly Manor showed more and more interest, Woodrow Wilson came to their school. "I have been coming here for a long time," said Ellen Abernathy, who works with Museum Education and with school outreach programs. "[To do this] They have to learn the protocol of a press conference and how to approach a president. (...) I think they have to delve into the era. They really come to understand that there was a whole different lifestyle."

The twenty-two students involved asked excellent questions that showed this deeper knowledge of the time period, and Woodrow Wilson's personal life- including questions such as "Could you explain your plan for peace? The Fourteen Points?", "Why are you so concerned about having peace with people in other countries while here at home you are ignoring the rights of American people and are not trying to stop segregation?", "What in your childhood really influenced your Presidency?" and "You were so quick to crush rebellions in Haiti and Mexico. Why didn't you do that in Europe?". President Wilson gave wonderful and detailed answers to every question. He explained his love for Princeton University saying, "I'd rather be a professor there than president [of a college] anywhere else." When asked about the Senate's rejection of the Treaty of Versailles, he said that the Senate had rejected it because they thought it might be a threat to our sovereignty, but he went on to say that "agreeing to do what is right is not giving up sovereignty", and explained his vision for the League of Nations as part of his Fourteen Points, wanting to promote "rights of nations, big and small."

One of his most inspirational answers came to Emily Gardner's question: "What in your childhood really influenced your Presidency?" One thing in particular that he felt influenced him was his struggle to learn to read. At about the age of 9, Woodrow Wilson was just learning the alphabet, but his parents never gave up on him. "When faced with a great challenge, it needs to be taken head-on." He went on to tell the story of a student that came to him when he worked at Princeton. This student was having trouble with his Latin classes, and asked Mr. Wilson's advice. He replied, "Take all of the Latin classes you can. (...) When you come across something you're struggling with, hold tight until you've mastered it."

Many people in attendance feel history is extremely important. One of these people is Abby Claytor, a junior at Bridgewater College who is working as an intern at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, "Anyone can enjoy history in the right way." Mr. Bankert, who played Wilson, feels that Wilson's messages transcend his period. "He speaks to contemporary issues, and his Fourteen Points have relevant, universal truths." Some of these points that he feels are most important are (1) all international settlements are reached in open negotiations, (2) ensuring total freedom of the seas, (3) elimination of barriers of trade, (4) weapons reduction, (5) settlement of colonial disputes by listening to the people within the colonies as well, not just the ruling governments, and (6) the establishment of the League of Nations. "They're as relevant and appropriate today as they were over one hundred years ago. (...) There are some political figures that are very contemporary. They're very much rooted in their time, but Wilson isn't like that. (...) They [his ideas] don't just apply to his time or his generation, but to us today."

5 Things I Learned Hosting a Korean Exchange Student

Five South Korean students and one teacher came to Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School from January 16-26 as part of an exchange student program. The students stayed with American families, all with students who attend the Governor’s School. The Korean guests are from Korea Science Academy, which is associated with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

This is a personal reflection on what I, as a high school student and journalist, learned from hosting Gun Kuk.

1.  Just a few words go a long way.

One of my passions, aside from Journalism, is definitely learning languages. I hope that my language skills can one day help me to be able to interview all sorts of people, and help me better understand any situations on which I report. I have Korean friends, and they helped me learn some Korean. It has been very fun to talk to all of the students about the Korean words I know and let them teach me even more words and phrases.

The first night Gun was with us, we picked him up after his 14-hour direct flight from Seoul and a long day of traveling around D.C., and we were all extremely tired. We took him to the local grocery store just to get some snacks and any kinds of food he may want to have. I was happy to take him around, help explain American junk food… When I took him down the isle with Ramen (which is pronounced “Ramyeon” in Korean, and is as common in Korea as Easy-Mac is in America), I explained how American Ramen is nothing like it is in Korea (sadly). He smiled when I said “ramyeon” correctly (pronounced "rahm-yoon"). It’s fun to know small things about other cultures.

My family was honored to take the Korean teacher, Mr. Hahn, to dinner one night. We went to the Depot Grille in downtown Staunton, and had a wonderful time discussing South Korean culture and American culture. I was able to talk to Mr. Hahn more about my language studies, and also his past work in research and teaching Chemistry. It was a wonderful conversation, a wonderful meal, and an honor to have that time to spend with him.

2. Food is universal.

A really fun thing to learn about, no matter what culture interests you, is food. Food is something easy to talk about, it’s a way to explore different places very easily, and it gives insight into history and traditions like nothing else. Among other things, one thing that Gun and I were first able to talk about most was comparing Korean, American, and even Japanese food. There are a lot of small, but distinct differences.

One of the most fun nights we had was with Krysta and Dong Jin. After a day of exploring downtown Staunton and Gypsy Hill Park (and Gun beating all of us his first time bowling), we went back to Krysta’s house and Gun and Dong Jin prepared a wonderful Korean meal.

Kuchoelpan- This is pickled radish that you wrap around various vegetables of our choice (the wrap can look like a taco)

Pulgogi- meat prepared in a sauce of many flavors (pear included)

Chabche- noodles with vegetables mixed in- it tastes similar to lo mein at Chinese restaurants

Rice

Kimchi- pickled cabbage with peppers and other spices

3. People will always surprise you.

After spending a week with Gun, I thought I knew him pretty well. I know he lives in Seoul, studies in Busan, loves Chemistry and Biology and Computer programming (especially with Java). I know he doesn’t like cheese, but definitely likes noodles with soy sauce, and prefers to eat with chopsticks at every opportunity he gets. He’s nervous about his English speaking at times, but is very excited to talk whenever he can, and loves to watch all sorts of British and Korean sit-coms (we watched some together). I had no idea that he had traveled around the world as much as he has. He went to Italy, France, and Switzerland with his sisters, and went to Nepal with his school for volunteer work. I couldn’t believe all the stories he could tell about working in Nepal and trying to order food in France while not speaking any French. As a want-to-be world traveler, I couldn’t help but enjoy the stories, but I was also always surprised. I never knew that he had been so many places. It just goes to show that nothing is always as it seems. No matter how well you could know a person, there’s always something that will surprise you.

4. Common ground is not so hard to find.

Krysta had to warn the Korean students about me before they met me. In the weeks leading up to the arrival of the Korean students, I had been practicing my Korean language skills, reading up on Korea, and helping Krysta prepare “Welcome KSA (Korea Science Academy)” posters. I was my normal self- jumpy and excited (maybe a little overwhelmingly so). Krysta told the Korean students that I would try to speak Korean with them, and would always be interested in what they had to teach me.

I have to admit, it has been worth it- reading long books about Korean culture and understanding the intricacies of the language. I have a better understanding of where they’re coming from, and it’s helped me to show them a little more about this area, and maybe relate it to what they’re used to. Gun and I could talk about Seoul and malls and style and even sit-coms that we both enjoy. My understanding of Korea gave us something to talk about, and helped to start more conversations about comparing American and Korean life.

5. Teenagers are teenagers, no matter where you go.

Anywhere in the world, teenagers are all the same. Dong Jin (another Korean student), Gun, Megan (a senior at Shenandoah Valley Governor's School), Krysta (Dong Jin's host, and a senior) and I all went to Gypsy Hill Park to enjoy an afternoon. There’s no better way to see how similar people are than to bring everyone to a playground and then to walk around the duck pond. Dong Jin told us stories about ducks that he despised because they ate his hot dogs when he was little, and he even joined in when Krysta and Megan were throwing small snowballs at each other.  He joins in with sarcasm and laughter, and we all enjoyed our bowling game. It was Gun’s first game and he beat all of us!

The world is a huge place, with all different kinds of people and all different kinds of languages and customs and religions. We’re not as different as politicians make us out to be. We always have differences, but the world is always a better place when people come together.

Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School was honored by the presence of the Korean students and teacher, Mr. Hahn, over the past week and a half. Their contributions to our school and their kindness will never be forgotten. We hope to have shown them a little bit of our life, just as they have shown so much to us.

캄사합니다. Thank you.

Nicholas Sironka nourishes his listeners with his words

"Nourish me with words," says Nicholas Sironka. "I will nourish the listener, and then ask them to feed me with words." This is a traditional greeting in the Maasai culture, one that Mr. Sironka is passionate about sharing.

Nicholas Sironka is from the Maasai tribe in Kenya, and comes every year to the United States to speak across the country about his culture, his batik artwork, and his passion for learning about others and teaching others. All week, he has visited local public schools to talk about his artwork, and will continue to visit them next week. On October 7th, at Wilson Memorial High School, he gave a presentation to the greater community about his people. The presentation was organized by two Shenandoah Valley Governor's School Seniors, Krysta Trout and Megan Champion.

He related many interesting stories about his culture. He discussed how the Maasai people are traditionally agricultural, and cows and pigs hold special value. Children want to grow up to be warriors, because they are respected in the community, and they are dancers. He even related fun facts about comparisons between America and the Maasai culture, including the fact that dogs are not allowed in homes. The audience chuckled as Mr. Sironka recounted the legend, but this recounting of small differences showed what this event was all about. "There's not much of a difference between us. We have the same dreams and aspirations."

"I have a soft spot for young girls who have to drop out of school," he said. "They are married off at such a young age." He helps by supporting girls who need scholarships so that they can finish high school, which starts at age 16 in Kenya. He has sponsored over 50 children, boys and girls, to go to school. "These girls can become people of great significance."

At the conclusion of the event at Wilson, he spoke directly to the teenagers in the crowd. "It is up to you now to move the world in a peaceful way: to accept dialogue and to take away barriers. Even in differences, there must be something we can accept."

There was nothing but positive feedback from those in attendance. "He did a super job," said Mr. Vermell Grant, Assistant Superintendent for Waynesboro City Schools. "He is very gracious. He sent a strong message of culture. None was better than the other. (...) He dispelled any of that." Dr. Kurt Michael, one of the teachers at the Governor's School who advised the students with their project, also attended the event. "Most enjoyable was his philosophy of life where he said that success should be by how we help others, not by what we gain." Karen O'Brien, who worked with teachers in Kenya for six months after retiring from thirty-one years at Stuarts Draft High School, and her daughter Roxanne were also in the audience. "We highly recommend [going to Kenya] to anyone who loves to travel."

One of the organizers of the event, Krysta Trout, shared her thoughts on the event and what Mr. Sironka does. "He truly understands what it means to be a citizen of the world. (...) He takes his little piece of the world and shows it to everyone."

For more on this story...
Nicholas Sironka's artwork
The scholarships
Opportunity to study abroad in Kenya