This year as part of their study of Sidwell’s history, 3rd graders designed their own tote bags, depicting the School’s past, present, and future.

Each year, Sidwell Friends 3rd graders devote some classroom time to the study of the School’s history. For many, just the idea of a 140-year-old school can be hard to grasp. But with the help of their teachers, they persist and before long it begins to make sense.

“When you are 8 and 9 years old, any topic can be fodder for exploration,” says 3rd grade teacher Lauren Thomas. “The history of their own school is a subject near and dear to their hearts. They come to see that their experiences here at Sidwell can become part of the historical record, too; they are living history and history in the making.”

In their studies, the students learn to understand that every story has a perspective: it is someone’s story. They learn to gather facts and are introduced to the difference between primary and secondary sources.

Next, with the help of Loren Hardenbergh, the School’s archivist, the student pore over timelines, photographs, maps, and alumni interviews to understand how the school has changed over time.

“Thanks to Lori’s wonderful stewardship, the students visit the archives to learn how historians preserve artifacts for future generations and hear about the process by which she selects items considering their historical value,” says Thomas. “For example, the students relish turning the key to the lock that was once installed on the Zartman House door, the very building in which they stand.”

Working together, the class creates a timeline of milestones in the School’s history, which they use as a reference to place each new fact, tradition, or event in historical context. They particularly enjoy interviewing alumni parents who share their oral histories. This year, two parents of 3rd graders, Conrad Caplin and Ali Mohamadi, came armed with photos, a letter jacket, and entertaining stories. A surprise appearance by PE Teacher Jeff Gold produced big cheers as the 3rd graders heard his recounting of how the school has changed in his years as a coach and teacher.

Each year, the students wrap up their unit with a class project. One year, the children submitted a proposal to Hardenbergh listing items the students thought should be added to the Sidwell Archives. Another year, they selected photos from the archives to create a history book, which they thought would teach future generations about their time at the School. 

For this year’s project, students designed handmade tote bags. To help with the designs, teachers asked them to ask themselves what Sidwell means to them and how they think about the School’s history as it continues to evolve. Their designs—images of a fox, Zartman House, a Quaker hat, the Quaker SPICES, and more—were printed on transfer paper and ironed onto the canvas bags.