THE BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED!!!!

Today we unloaded the books from Mr. Pock's truck and later we celebrated with cookies and drinks as we admired what we had done! The kids were extremely excited! Their faces told the story. Tomorrow, Thursday, May 17th we will be signing our books in the cafeteria from 1:30-3:00. We also have Friday, Monday, and Tuesday designated to distribute books in our lobby from 8:00-9:00 a.m.!

WATCH FOR OUR ORDER FORM THIS WEEK!

This week we have chosen a cover and back page from our student artists.  SO CUTE!!!! Also, we are working on some darling illustrations for the people we interviewed.  Wait till you see them! This week we will be posting an order form.  Keep watching!!!

WORKING FEVERISHLY to the finish!

This week we have been collaborating and working on the history of the schools that we have learned the most about!  We also created teams to work on special projects related to our book like marketing, extra pages, etc.  They are doing an amazing job of working together and trying to get the best ideas down!  It looks like we will begin taking orders before too terribly long and the books will be ready in early May!  The end is in sight!

Scheduling Interviews-Seeking Willing Participants!

This week we have been developing questions and practicing how to interview someone!  Thursday and Friday we are doing practice interviews with one former teacher and one former administrator, Mr. Pock and Mr. Ritchie.  That should be fun and  exciting! From there, we will refine our skills and begin the process, next week.

*We are scheduling interviews for Feb. 8 and Feb. 22 during the school day!  If you, or someone you know would be willing to let a pair of students interview them, contact us as soon as you can!  We'd love to have your input!

A Trip Back in Time

Yesterday we took our kiddos on a trip to Boston Center where we were met by Mrs. Evelyn Layton.  She told us lots of cool things and the kids had lots of great questions about things like transportation, if things were black and white "back then" and about the outhouses.  Then, we went to Mountain Grove School where we were met Mr. and Mrs. Harding!  They showed us the original library at the school, a really cool old stove and we heard the old school bell ring!  They were so patient with all of our questions. 

Later we went to what we are calling "the old brick building" downtown and Dot from K-Life met us and let us tour the building and we even ate our lunches in the floor of the old gym.  Next we went to the old Primary School which now houses Faith Community Health Center.  We got a tour of their facilities and we got a close up of some of the old classrooms too!  We went in the attached building that houses Church Army and saw where the special classes met when Ms. Pardeck taught there. 

We had been collecting items for the Jesus was Homeless project and Amy met us to let us deliver our box full of toothbrushes, shampoo, cookies, and other things!  We even played on the old grassy playground! 

Lastly, we visited the old building with the courtyard that is now owned by the City of Branson where we were met by a big group of city employees who patiently walked with us through this uninhabited building.  We thought it was cool too! On the way back to school, we stopped at the site of the "Old Branson School" next to Dixie Stampede.  It is our understanding that the real site was about 1/4 mile to the east.  Anyway we talked about it as being a replica.

All in all, it was a great day!  A big thank you to our school for letting us go on this trip, to Mrs. Layton, the Hardings, Dot, Faith Community Health Church Army, and to the City of Branson.  SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT!!!!

Missouri Retired Teacher's Association Breakfast

Yesterday, Mrs. Pock and I went to share our project with the MRTA group in Branson to thank them for the grant they provided!  It was really nice to spend time with people who gave so much to education and are still giving!  Many of them gave us contact information so that we can interview them and some were even able to clear up some inconsistencies regarding some of our old sites.  It was a great time and we hope to bring them back a book to share in the spring!   Thanks again MRTA for your help in our project!

Here we Go!

Please use this blog to see what we are up to and to share your favorite stories and memories about your time in the Branson Elementary Schools! We want to hear your story whether you were a teacher, student, or administrator, or perhaps a board member!   Feel free to post pictures or videos too!    We are learning so much already about our rich history.  In February we have set aside two days to bring in people for our students to interview.  If you are interested or know someone who might be, please send us your info!  Thank you!