A summer program at the Missouri History Museum gives students renewed hope for their town’s future by reminding them of its illustrious past.

At one time a burgeoning shopping district and an important transportation hub, the city of Wellston has lost much of its industry and luster. And until they participated in the Wellston Historical Residency Program at the Missouri History Museum last summer, most of the children who live there today knew little about their city’s rich history.

For 5 weeks in June and July, 30 seventh-grade students from Wellston spent their days at the museum, where they learned about Wellston from a historical perspective, covering topics such as technology, economics, transportation, and residents.

In addition to classroom time at the Missouri History Museum, the students also visited the Missouri Historical Society’s Library and Research Center, where they were taught research strategies and archiving methods for old documents and were given tours of the collections.

The students also had off-site days for field trips to interview business owners in the University City Loop District, visit a campus radio station at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and tour the University of Missouri–Kansas City campus.

The program was the first of its kind for Wellston, as well as for the Missouri Historical Society (MHS). “In early 2006, I was reading an article that talked about Wellston starting their after-school programs. I contacted the person in charge of the after-school programs to see if there was something we could do in regard to a history program,” said Program Coordinator Melanie Adams. Thus began a partnership between MHS, the Wellston School District, and GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a discretionary grant program of the U.S. Department of Education that is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The grant provides 6-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools.

“MHS is continually looking for ways to connect with the community with history and specifically connect with young people with history,” Adams explained. “By working with the students in Wellston, MHS was able to provide them with resources that helped them discover a whole new aspect of the place they called home.”

“I learned about the history of the buildings in Wellston,” said student Chrishonda Paulette. “It made me feel better about Wellston and gave me a new appreciation.”

Creating a curriculum for a 5-week program was quite an endeavor, so Adams assembled a team of MHS staff to work with teachers from Wellston to develop a complete experience in exhibition planning, publishing, oral history collecting, and research. The requirements for the program were strict in order for the students to receive a grade as part of required summer school. To ensure that the content met the school district’s educational needs, the district sent an outside consultant to evaluate the program.

The program comprised a combination of individual exercises (such as interviewing a subject and writing a story) and teamwork (picking a research topic and assigning different tasks to each team member). It was in those teams that each student’s strength became apparent. Some were talented photographers, others wrote great stories, and still others were natural spokespeople. “I want to be a photographer, so I took the photos for our team’s project,” said 13-year-old Anniece McGhee.

Lloyd White, one of the Wellston teachers who worked with the program, was pleased with the final results. “They incorporated the skills they learned into their work and were able to use books to learn about old transportation versus new transportation, dealing with the economic side of Wellston.

“The students learned about the strong importance of getting out and interviewing people,” White added. “Right after the lesson on interviewing skills, they interviewed the director of the Housing Authority the very next day. Overall, it was a success and a way for students to stay dedicated and committed over the summer.”

The students were also enthusiastic when looking back on the experience, which could be measured in their comments. “It was a fun program to be in,” said Andre Hutson, 14. “I learned how to work better with my classmates, to pay attention in class, and how to take better notes.”

Karlyn Henry, 13, brushed up on history and writing. “I know the true meaning of history,” she said. “I enjoy doing history. I learned more writing skills . . . I used to rush, but now I take my time with writing.”

Having a museum as their classroom also exposed the students to the history of other regions of the state and the country, as the students spent a few days going on tours of the galleries. Even more exciting for the students, the program coincided with a much-anticipated traveling exhibit on Benjamin Franklin. “My favorite part was the exhibits,” said Ben McLemore, 13. “I didn’t know much about Ben Franklin, but I’ve learned so much from the exhibit. I also like the Currents gallery, especially the pink kitchen, and the transportation and Cardinals parts.”

On the final day of the program, students gave oral presentations on their Wellston-related projects. Afterward they displayed their work in the museum’s atrium and proudly posed for photographs in front of their projects.

Several students commented that they had changed their minds about history. “At first I thought history was boring, but I found out I liked it,” said James Stewart, 13.

“I like history now, because I know what it is,” said Paulette. “I feel history is important because you need to know about what happened back then and who invented what.”

Tierra White, 12, said, “I thought it was going to be boring, but my opinion has changed. The program was a fun experience and I learned more than I thought I would. I liked the attitudes of the workers at the museum.”

And a few students enjoyed the program despite the subject matter. Phelicia Stokes-Price, 13, said, “Now, I understand history, but I still don’t like it. I liked the program, though.”

Based on the program’s success, the team will soon be organizing next summer’s curriculum. “The main reason this program was a success was because it was developed in a collaborative process between MHS and the Wellston School District,” Adams said. “The two organizations brought their strengths to the table and worked together to develop and implement the program. This created a foundation that will allow the program to grow and influence more kids each summer. MHS was happy to have the chance to work with the students and staff of Wellston because they were energetic, excited, and engaged in the process of discovering their past in order to enhance their futures.”

And perhaps the response most promising for Wellston’s future came from student Ben McLemore, who said, “I like the program because you learn a lot at the museum. My goal is to help my community as part of my career.”

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