Fifth-graders learn about Dormont history
It was a win-win for both sides May 6 in Lori DeMartino’s classroom at Dormont Elementary School.
The Dormont Historical Society asked DeMartino, a fifth-grade social studies teacher, if it could send some members to her classroom to talk about local history. DeMartino, herself a Dormont native, jumped at the opportunity for her students to learn about their borough’s past.
“Dormont families tend to stay,” DeMartino said. “I have children in my classes who are children of the people I went to school with. It’s nice.”
Janet Carroll, a board member of the historical society who helped organize the 45-minute presentation, said the organization is doing such programming to reach out to children and get them interested in local history.
Carroll led off by asking the classroom if they could be a figure from history, who would they be. The answers ran the gamut from Neil Armstrong to Terry Bradshaw to being an explorer on the History Channel to president of the United States.
Cheryl Herrington, another board member, showed the class pictures of old buildings and asked if they recognized any of them. One of the photos depicted the first school in Dormont.
“Any idea how much it cost to build?” she asked.
There were responses of $100,000, $500,000 and even $30,000. The correct answer was $3,000, she said.
“The school had 22 students,” said Herrington, who gave the students Dormont maps.
“At one time, Dormont was considered one of the top 20 communities in the United States because you could walk everywhere,” she said.
Board member Cathy Blando also showed the students items that would typically be found in a house in the 1970s, ’60s, ’50s and earlier. Students were asked what they thought the items were.
“A shoehorn,” answered one student. He was right, but the device also had a hook at the top so it could be used to fasten shoes with buttons.
Another item then was presented.
“A faucet?” one student asked.
“A curling iron,” said another student, who was right. The implement, from the early 1900s, had a wooden handle and gas ignition switch that was used for heat.
At the end of the presentation, students were given gift bags with Dormont-related items.