Wayne Elementary School and the Town’s Bicentennial Project by Janet Adelberg Chalkboard article---- In Wayne, 1998 marks the 200th birthday of the town’s incorporation by a group of early pioneers from Sandwich, Massachusetts. The Bicentennial Committee has put together a number of special events to mark this occasion and has made a special effort to connect with the school to involve students in the on-going celebrations. Happily, Bicentennial Committee member and Wayne School parent Theresa Kerchner obtained a one year grant from the Helen and George Ladd Charitable Foundation and was able to turn a dream of “involving the children” into an awesome schedule of age-appropriate, curriculum-based learning activities tied into the year-long Bicentennial celebration. Each grade will focus on a building and corresponding topical area for this school year. Kindergarten students will study the Jennings Homestead and learn what life was like for a child in the 1780’s. Priscilla Stevenson and Neala Jennings will tell family stories and share visits with the children to the old homestead vicinity. Students in grades 1 and 2 will focus their learning on the Swift Homestead, now Wayne Village Pottery. The Swifts were farmers and blacksmiths. Local blacksmith Keith Leavitt will host a visit to his blacksmith shop, and Dick Lee will show them a carriage and give them buggy rides in the spring. Peter Ault visited the class and shared his stories about the Swifts. Third grade children will focus their activities on the North Wayne School House and learn about education and farming. Many community members have vivid memories of their school days there (the school was open from 1855-1961) and love sharing them with today’s students. Last year the Town of Wayne purchased the old school building and the children are hoping to be part of the planning for its future use. The fourth grade children also will have a North Wayne focus, namely the North Wayne Tool Company. Resident Paul Gould shared his knowledge about the early industry and highlighted for the children the world-wide commerce thriving in old North Wayne. Sickles, scythes, Civil War sword blades and bayonets were shipped all over the world from the water-powered factories of North Wayne. With the help of Robert Fyler and Dorle Gatti, the students will construct a model of the tool company. Fifth grade students will concentrate on Wayne’s Town House, the site of town meetings after 1840. This historic building is currently being restored under the supervision of a town appointed committee. Govermental studies is in the fifth grade curriculum so the students will learn about town government in the old days and also about town-operated poor farms. This spring they will re-enact the 1898 Centennial town meeting, under the guidance of Wayne resident Arline Lovejoy who is ensuring that the students will accurately go through the articles on the warrent. Parent Doug Stevenson will moderate their Town Meeting and has taught the class about Parliamentary procedure. Boys will be on one side, girls on the other, when they convene at the Town House since women did not gain the right to vote until 1920 when the 19th Ammendment passed. Sixth grade students will make the Bicentennial connection through their science unit on basic physical forces. Water power will be their focus as they research the Wayne Village Dam and Crutch Factory. Youngsters will meet with former employees Lila Lincoln and Ken Wells for first-hand details about the factory. Water-powered factories such as this one (now gone) were found all over the state of Maine in the 1800’s. They have had a guided tour of the State Museum’s water-powered mill and have delved into written accounts about the old mill site. Their work will culminate in the construction of a portable working model of a water-powered grist mill, organized by Curtis Spencer, Lloyd Irland and George Bardaglio. Some of the Bicentennial Committee’s activities involve the whole school. Ms. Kerchner has made a timeline (using 70 yards of clothesline!) in which the youngsters walk through 14,000 years of Wayne’s history. Children learn that there were people here as soon as the last glacier receded, and they have looked at authentic artifacts (such as stone tools and pottery) dating back thousands of years, and kindly shared by Tink and Lila Lincoln. During their tour of the Cary Memorial Library town archives, with volunteer curator Edward Kallop, they appreciated fully the meaning and excitement of living history as they viewed treasured town artifacts and documents preserved by past generations. During the month of March, children will paint a historical mural in Wayne Elementary School’s multi-purpose room, assisted by a team of artistic parents. Depicting the first Rockomeka Indian settlements and continuing through history, youngsters will illustrate the chain of lakes extending from Lovejoy Pond to the northern end of Androscoggin Lake, as well as sites of historical interest and interesting “old stuff” such as carriages, ice cutting, early automobiles, and so forth. Ms. Kerchner’s expertise as an educator has helped streamline these exciting activities into the regular curriculm activities of each classroom. She emphasizes that an army of community volunteers have come forward to lend their time, their stories and their expertise to help with these local history projects. Youngsters are gaining a unique perspective on their local history and benefit enormously from their contact with so many involved volunteers. In our technology driven world, where being current takes only the switch of a computer, students are gaining a new appreciation for the great satisfactions of learning about their own intriguing community roots.  Return to Wayne USGENWEB Historical Page