School puts on first History Exhibition
IMPERIAL – Faith Academy put on a History Exhibition – the first of its kind for the school – in the school’s gym in on Friday, March 17, in Imperial
The gym was packed as people milled about the exhibits, which ranged from colorful tri-fold poster boards containing information, clay creations, food samples pertaining to a particular country, and PowerPoint presentations. Faith Academy’s Kinder-through-eighth grade students got to pick a topic suggested by teachers to present to their family and friends for their projects.
Martha Camacho, Kindergarten teacher and History Exhibition coordinator, said the school has always done science fairs, in the past, whereas in the school’s inaugural History
Exhibition event – which happened to fall on St. Patrick’s Day – the school’s students utilized the “Abeka curriculum,” which teaches from a Christian perspective, Camacho said.
“This is the first time we’re doing a history exhibition,” Camacho said. “(In Abeka), everything is learned from God’s perspective,” she said.
Students chose from a provided list and expressed what they learned through video, poster boards, PowerPoint, cultural food, or performances. Teachers were able to help students cultivate their creativity in making their projects.
“We want to make sure they learn in the best way,” Camacho said.
In her years of teaching, Camacho enjoys seeing her students develop character and use the words they learn outside of the classroom.
She commends her 5-6 year old students for using words typically used by adults, and for doing something without needing to be told.
“If you ask my kindergarteners, they’ll tell you what diligence means. It’s impressive,” the proud teacher said.
Several students commented on their projects, sharing what they learned.
Faith Academy second-grader Emily Cerdea did a project on the Star Spangled Banner.
“My favorite thing about my project is I get to be free and sing songs,” Cerdea said.
Sixth-grader Zoy Chan created a project on Columbia, a country in South America. “I got inspired by a movie called Encanto,” she said.
Third-grader Ethan Ojada created a project on the U.S. state of Wyoming.
He said his favorite thing about Wyoming were the bison. “The bison eat grass and their predators are the gray wolf,” he said.
Seventh-grader Brooke Garneau did her project on the Great Pyramids of Egypt. She said she learned a lot and enjoyed working with her partner.
Fifth-grader Elian Valdez did a project on the country of Ecuador. Valdez said he loves animals and said Ecuador has “giant otters, jaguars, and pink river dolphins.”
“They’re not exactly pink, but they have a little gray spot,” the fifth grader said.
Camacho said the students learn more than just history in doing these projects.
“In the end, we develop good civilians because of people with good moral standards,” Camacho said.