The Hope Visitor Centre & Museum Complex, along with Hope Secondary School (HSS) hosted a special event, at its complex on Thursday, June 16.
Students, teachers, and the entire community were invited to see the history of Hope, put on display and curated, by a group of 30 multi-talented HSS Grade 12 students.
Ms. Maya Araki-Hoshowski, and her students embarked on a year-long social studies project that involved detailing a historical event in Hope, and designing a presentation to be displayed at the museum, with the help and partnership of Operations Manager/Museum Curator Helen Kennedy.
“They designed it themselves; they built it themselves; they created the artwork,” said Araki-Hoshowski of her students. “Some really interesting stories came out of this — Greg Thompson (one of the 30 students,) interviewed his grandmother. She survived the flood of 1948 — she was only a child at the time, and he's so proud when he talks about it. It's just really interesting.”
Thompson's display is engaging and informative, as an array of materials, artifacts and audio, blended together portray the setting of the historical and devastating flood in Hope.
“We have magazines from 1948, and other visuals to highlight the flood,” Thompson told The Hope Standard of his exhibit. “We slowly built up items, and I got my grandmother to talk to me about the 1948 flood.” (Thompson's grandmother's interview was part of the audio, utilized in his group's multimedia presentation.) One of the things that stood out for Thompson was the diseases that emerged from the debris of the flood and the toxicity of the water, caused by the rotting of animal carcasses that perished in the disaster.
“I really enjoyed the teamwork with my classmates, and of course interviewing my grandmother” he said.
The students put a lot of effort into the event, including creating a proposal for AdvantageHOPE, and the School District, to see the fruition of the project.
Araki-Hoshowski, acknowledged that she learned a great deal from the project, especially how devastating the flood of 1948 was to the community.
“The most valuable part is when the students realize the history, and their family histories, and just connecting those things; including, all the things I teach in the textbooks and in class. When it personalizes for them, it's an absolute thrill,” she said.
The exhibit demonstrated, that great skill, professionalism, and talent abound among the students at HSS.
The event was catered by HSS Food's instructor Jeremy Smith, and a couple of his students. They put on a visually stunning and delicious spread to be enjoyed by guests, before a presentation, and awards ceremony was hosted inside of the museum to celebrate the hard work and success of the students.