FORESTVILLE, Ohio — Students from the Forest Hills School District traded their classroom for real-life lessons Friday.
Second graders from Mercer Elementary School participated in the History to Schools program at the Anderson Center, giving them a front-row seat to local history and the leaders shaping it.
The program is part of a 13-year partnership between Anderson Township, Forest Hills School District and the Anderson Township Historical Society.
"The school said we got 100 kids in each second-grade class, and that room isn't large enough, so what are we going to do with the kids that don't fit into the room? We said, what about a full-day field trip?" Vicky Earhart, Anderson Township administrator, said.
Earhart said the idea came about when they were looking to design the Anderson Center. A trustee suggested building a history room and including students.
Students started the day hearing from Anderson Trustee Katie Nappi and Village of Newtown Councilmember Ali Alspaugh. The second-graders learned the differences between a village and a township.
WATCH: Second graders from Mercer Elementary School took a field trip to the Anderson Center to learn about local government, history and bike safety
Students also had the chance to ask Anderson Township Fire and Rescue and Hamilton County sheriff's deputies about their responsibilities.
Earthart said another important part of the field trip was a lesson in bike safety.
The trip is made possible by Anderson Township Historical Society docents, Earhart said, who give their time to teach.
"For example, they may show a hairdryer from the early days, and then show them a current one, or show them an old telephone and then a cell phone today to explain how communication and transportation have changed over the years," Earhart said.
The students also went through a planning and zoning exercise to learn about planning for their community, along with a walk with a green space inspector to learn about nature and the state buckeye tree.
"It gets the students engaged, and what I love about it is learning about local government. Hopefully, some will consider local government as a career in the future and share what they learned with friends and family," Earhart said.
Parents were also involved in every activity on the trip.
"I feel like I've been in the Cincinnati area my entire life, but didn't know the history of this particular spot," Michelle Robben said.
At the end of the day, each student received a tree to plant in their own yard.
"It gives them a sense of ownership of their community. It's cool that they get to learn more about those particular details they might not have otherwise," Robben said.
