Making history more personal
18 April 2012
Sixth-graders at Thurston Middle School present their Oral History projects, where they interviewed people at least 50 years old.
Pulitzer Prize winners, foreign athletes, successful business people and veterans were just some of the fascinating people who crowded the Thurston Middle School auditorium this week.
The sixth-grade Oral History project asks students to interview someone at least 50 years older and present their findings to their classmates.
The school held its annual luncheon Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, when students gave a 30-second presentation about their person, asking their interviewee to stand to applause and usually ending with "thank you for sharing your life with me
"I think it's an invaluable experience for students to be able to learn about history through the perspective of someone close to them," sixth-grade language arts teacher Sarah Schaeffer said Tuesday. "It helps to close generational gaps and see the people they interview in a new light."
Many locals were in the audience at Tuesday's luncheon, such as artist Olivia Batchelder, who was interviewed by sixth-grader Sophie Wilkes.
AdvertisementA common remark from the students was how much they enjoyed getting to know a grandparent better or learn interesting facts about a friend they never knew.
Massimo Lucidi, 12, said he was excited to find out his Italian grandfather, Dalfrano Lucidi, played professional soccer in Foligno, Italy.
"I was shocked to learn he owned more than 80 hotels in his lifetime," Angelina Polselli, 11, said about her father, Remo Polselli.
Vasco Possley, 12, spoke about his father, Maurice Possley, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former Chicago Tribune reporter.
Dylan Miller, 11, interviewed Donn Hubbard and found out that he had been to Hiroshima, Japan.
Sixth-grader Daniel Vergara got laughs as he went slightly past the 30-second mark, enumerating the many virtues of his Peruvian grandmother and the wise advice she's given him.
Principal Jenny Salberg said students and interviewees gain a lot from the experience — the students learn about another person and the interviewee is recognized.
"I think it's a wonderful opportunity to honor our families and community with their rich history," Salberg said.
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Omissions in the Editing of Oral History
After the completion of interview sessions, the original recordings are archived, the interviews are transcribed, proofread, and re-listened to. If the material possesses the qualities required for publication in the form of an article or a book, the editing process must begin. In general, understanding a verbatim transcription of an interview is often not straightforward and requires editing so that it may be transformed into a fluent, well-documented text that is easy to comprehend.100 Questions/8
We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week. The goal of this project is to open new doors to an issue and promote scientific discussions in the field of oral history.The Role of Objects in Oral Narrative
Philosophers refer to anything that exists—or possesses the potential to exist—as an object. This concept may manifest in material forms, abstract notions, and even human emotions and lived experiences. In other words, an object encompasses a vast spectrum of beings and phenomena, each endowed with particular attributes and characteristics, and apprehensible in diverse modalities.100 Questions/6
We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week. The goal of this project is to open new doors to an issue and promote scientific discussions in the field of oral history.
