US, British students' exhibit tours Norfolk

ROYAL AIR FORCE FELTWELL, England - Juliet Ramos, Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Isles District instructional systems specialist in social studies for middle school and high school, passes out certificates of appreciation to students who worked on the Connecting People: Norfolk's American Connections exhibit at Lakenheath Middle School Dec. 5, 2012. More than 150 children, ages 7-12, from 10 schools worked on the exhibit in early 2012. Approximately 25,000 people viewed the exhibit across 120 venues in Norfolk. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)

US, British students' exhibit tours Norfolk

ROYAL AIR FORCE FELTWELL, England - Melissa Hawker (left), Norfolk Museum and Archeology Service learning officer, and Randi Dalton (right), Lakenheath Intermediate School gifted teacher, pose for a photo with students who worked on The Friendly Invasion display for the Connecting People: Norfolk's American Connections exhibit at Lakenheath Middle School Dec. 5, 2012. More than 150 children, ages 7-12, from 10 schools worked on the exhibit in early 2012. Approximately 25,000 people viewed the exhibit across 120 venues in Norfolk. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)

US, British students' exhibit tours Norfolk

ROYAL AIR FORCE FELTWELL, England - Fifth-and-sixth-grade students watch a slideshow of the work and research they did for the Connecting People: Norfolk's American Connections exhibit at Lakenheath Middle School Dec. 5, 2012. More than 150 children, ages 7-12, from 10 schools worked on the exhibit in early 2012. Approximately 25,000 people viewed the exhibit across 120 venues in Norfolk. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)

US, British students' exhibit tours Norfolk

ROYAL AIR FORCE FELTWELL, England - This display, Thomas Paine, is one of five displays in the Connecting People: Norfolk's American Connections exhibit and was researched and developed by U.S. and British students. More than 150 children, ages 7-12, from 10 schools worked on the exhibit in early 2012. Approximately 25,000 people viewed the exhibit across 120 venues in Norfolk. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)

US, British students' exhibit tours Norfolk

ROYAL AIR FORCE FELTWELL, England - This display, The Friendly Invasion, is one of five displays in the Connecting People: Norfolk's American Connections exhibit and was researched and developed by U.S. and British students. More than 150 children, ages 7-12, from 10 schools worked on the exhibit in early 2012. Approximately 25,000 people viewed the exhibit across 120 venues in Norfolk. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)

US, British students' exhibit tours Norfolk

Published Dec. 7, 2012
By Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

ROYAL AIR FORCE FELTWELL, England - -- Parents, teachers and students celebrated the success of an exhibit at Lakenheath Middle School Dec. 5, 2012.

The exhibit, Connecting People: Norfolk's American Connections, consisted of five displays put together by more than 150 children, ages 7-12, from 10 schools who worked on the project with staff from the Norfolk Museum Service, Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Library Service and a professional graphic designer in early 2012.

Approximately 25,000 people viewed the exhibit, which has three identical sets, across 120 venues in Norfolk since it went on display July 4, 2012.

"We have had so much brilliant feedback from the sites," said Melissa Hawker, Norfolk Museum and Archeology Service learning officer. "A lot of the museums were saying,
'We get this for free? But this is amazing; normally we have to pay for exhibitions of this quality.'"

"The tour was supposed to stop on Thanksgiving, but it was so popular it had to be extended," she added.

Two of the exhibit's displays, Thomas Paine and The Friendly Invasion, were worked on collaboratively by American and British students, who created the displays using similar techniques as the professionals.

"They went through very much the process a curator goes through to put together an exhibition," Hawker said. "Every word that is up there is written by them."

The students spent an entire week doing research for the project at a museum in Thetford where they were able to dress as Minutemen and World War II soldiers, retrace Thomas Paine's footsteps and more.

"During that week they were able to go back in time, not only with the costumes, but the food preparation and the research," said Juliet Ramos, Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Isles District instructional systems specialist. "For them it was like living in the past for an entire week."

The hands-on techniques used to acquire information for their displays benefitted the project and the children.

"It gets them involved in history in a very creative and different way," Ramos said. "It gets them to actually do the research instead of just hearing it or reading it from a book."

According to Ramos, the British and American students worked well together and created a quality exhibit.

"They did a phenominal job in the research process, disseminating and analyzing the information that they discovered," said Ramos. "They are very proud of their work. It was exciting for them."