The Grand Finale to a Wonderful Year!

As the year comes to a close, we have sent out many thank-you cards and letters to all who have helped us throughout the school year. We have made three video interviews with each of us talking about some of the different activities we have done such as our field trips, guest speakers, and our giving back projects.

As we wind down, the majority of the class has graduated, leaving all but three of the students behind. Our class has learned so many great things about America's greatest president. Not only have we learned about Abe, but we have also learned a lot about ourselves. Our Lincoln Seminar has completed many great activities and we hope to be remembered--we would like to thank all who have helped.

The Seniors Last Hoo-rah

Wednesday, May 20Th. 11:45 am. A day that will live in all of our hearts, as we say goodbye to 13 seniors. It was not a sad day, although some did get a little emotional. The day was spent eating food which varied from corn bread, green bean casserole (two different varieties), and a sweet potato pie made by our very own Mr. Busse.

During the dinner, we finished watching the movie Glory, the Civil War film highlighting the immense prejudices and heroic story of the 54Th Massachusetts regiment, the first all African American regiment commanded by white officers. Mr.Busse told us this movie is often called the most historically accurate film about the Civil War. Though we never got to finish the movie, we had a great last day filled with great food, great flicks, and great friends.

Indepth Review

This year is heading for its final frontier for the students and teachers in the Lincoln Seminar, but as we have all realized, it is not over yet and to make this clear, the class reviewed trends, politicians, and the many important characters of the 1860's.

One big topic of the day that was mentioned was the Unionist Party and those who were active within this short-lived political party. Also, people listed battles with such forces in our history that we should be ashamed if we were to leave them out. Gettysburg is one of these turning point battles and to accompany that, we featured President Lincoln's great Gettysburg Address

In the end, the class came together to express their opinions on the topics that were noted.

Lincoln Re-elected!

This past week, the Lincoln Seminar class made campaign posters, carriage bumper stickers, and banners for either Lincoln or McClellan. In the picture, Diego is hard at work on his patriotic campaign poster for Lincoln. Mr. Busse explained that the 1864 election was the only one ever to be held in a time of war.


In other news, we are wrapping up Abraham Lincoln's life by discussing the assassination. Conspiracy theories have been a hot topic for class.

Galesburg High School Lincoln Seminar students share with Carl Sandburg College students

Active in the education of elementary schools, the Lincoln Seminar reaches out to a higher level of education. The students were asked if it was possible to present our projects to a Adult Education class at Carl Sandburg College. Diego, Brandon, and Taylor stepped up to the offer and succeded in sharing the class's knowledge of Abraham Lincoln.

Diego has a special liking of the Underground Railroad and chose this topic to talk to the students about. He provided information and pictures about it from our own town's perspective. With his immense study of the Emancipation Proclamation, Brandon shared with the class his intuitive knowledge of the document. Taylor explained to the students about the Civil War from the Southern perspective. Each topic was well presented and well received by the students and staff at Carl Sandburg.

These three class members have not only been to Carl Sandburg College but have also visited Churchill Junior High School.

Dispersing our Lincoln Knowledge

WATCH OUT, Galesburg Public Schools! We are hitting your local classrooms this spring with nothing but Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln. This week our "Lincoln Scholars" visited classrooms at Costa, Nielson, and Carl Sandburg, dispersing the seeds of Abe knowledge.

Amelia and Lily visited second graders with hopes of deepening the understanding of the Civil War. They were shocked by the intelligent questions of the students.

Olivia, Jessie, and Travis shared their Seussified biography of Mr. Lincoln with a group of attentive first graders at Costa.

Diego, Taylor, and Brandon went to Carl Sandburg College, bringing along facts about the Underground Railroad, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Southern perspective on the Civil War.

Don't fret, students. Our tour of District 205 is far from over. Watch out for a presentation near you!

ACTION!!!

This week was incredibly busy as we listened to speakers and went to see the play Our American Cousin. We started off the week with a speaker, our own Judge Harry Bulkeley. He gave many insights about General Ulysses S. Grant. We learned that General Grant was the most revered man in the 19th century, but the public later created many misconceptions.

As we prepared to see Our American Cousin, Dr. William Wallace, the director of the play, came and spoke about Monmouth College's interpretation of this play. We learned that they were making the play authentic and emphasizing the assassination in the third act.

We were welcomed into the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg to see an excerpt of this play on Frday April 3. After the excerpt, we were given the chance to ask questions allowing us to gain more insight of the history behind the play and characters.

Prof. Wilson and Prof. Davis

This week in Lincoln Seminar, nationally known Lincoln historians, Prof. Wilson and Prof. Davis of Knox College, luckily joined us. These two enlightened men gave us insights on President Lincoln's life and tribulations throughout his life from growing up in Kentucky to life in the White House.

We were allowed asked them questions that we made up ourselves. One of the most interesting questions was how Lincoln's life would've changed if he were fully educated in school instead of self-educated. Prof. Wilson told us that if Lincoln was formally educated, his speeches and writing might have been a lot more "flowery.”

The Lincoln Seminar Goes with the Wind

The Scarlett saga came to an end on Friday, March 20th, with the Lincoln Seminar class in a state of amazement at the Academy Award winning movie. With the knowledge that the class has gained by observing the conflicts of the Civil War, the students were acquainted with the dramatic events of the movie, Gone With the Wind.

One of the most memorable scenes was when Scarlett returns to Tara and is faced with the challenge of survival. This event brought the class to a realization of how damaged the South was from all the battles that had taken place during the war. The scene also emphasizes how women lead their families and households through the harsh times.

Gettysburg Historian

This week our class was joined by history Professor Matthew Norman from Gettysburg College. He answered some of our questions as well as told us of events we had no idea that had even occurred. For example, Gettysburg College, previously known as Pennsylvania College, was actually part of the battleground. The right most flank of the Confederate army was placed right in the middle of the college grounds. Some fighting actually occurred there in addition to having a hospital stationed in Pennsylvania Hall aiding both Union and Confederate troops.

We orginally came into contact with Professor Norman when one of our students, Brondon Davis, emailed Professor Norman inquiring about the happenings durring the Battle of Gettysburg. We were very surprised to find out that Professor Norman was a graduate of Knox College and lives part of the year at his home here in Galesburg.

Lincoln Scholars Take on Rotary

Last Wednesday, March 4th, our entire class took a trip to the Best Value Inn to dine with the members of the Rotary Club. The students were scattered among the members to talk to them about our class and answers any questions they may have had.

Three fellow classmates also did a SmartBoard presentation to further educate the Rotary on what we have accomplished. We all enjoyed our time with the group and greatly appreciated the Rotary opening their doors to us.

Tourist Officials Visit

Our class was visited by officials from the Galesburg Convention & Visitors Bureau. Director of Tourism Diane Bruening (left) was accompianed by Jean Jacobs (right) to speak to the class about promoting tourism. Tourism affects Galesburg's economy in many ways; for instance, last year the Orpheum Theatre made more than $1 million.

They distributed many items that they hand out at the Visitor's Bureau and spoke about getting people from all over Illinois to Galesburg.

Giving Back to Galesburg: Part I

The Lincoln Seminar class is currently reaching out to community resources on how to give back to Galesburg. One of the first steps was researching our possibilities of making an impact on our historic town. We are covering a wide variety of topics including the underground railroad, historical homes, and teaching others. The class has successfully contacted historians and members of the community who have previously made an impact.

Knox Speaker Offers Insight on Hip-Hop Generation

Bakari Kitwana, who spoke at Knox College on Feb. 25, is the author of The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture, a book that is used in many college classrooms. He has also been a music reviewer for National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." One of our students attended the presentation. Afterwards, Diego shared feedback about the program with the Lincoln Seminar class.

 

"Mr. Kitwana gave a great insight on the changes to hip-hop over time from an underground music scene to a world-wide culture," Diego said. "The generations of hip-hop have changed from what he called bridging the generation in the late 70's and the early 80's of rappers and black people who were too young to participate in the Civil Rights movements, the golden age of the hip-hope generation (1984-1994) to the modern post hip-hop group." 

He talked about the political changes in hip-hop over the ages with Krs-one, Public Enemy, and Tupac during the late 80's to Dead Prez and Mos Def during the early 90's, to Talib Kweli in the current music scene.  

Reflecting on Springfield Trip

"I especially enoyed the wreath-laying ceremony. It was really neat to meet the new governor and to listen to what he had to say." -Lily

"My favorite part of the Lincoln trip/birthday party was learning how to do the Virginia Reel. It was extremely fun." -Travis

"Seeing Abe's desk in his Springfield home was my favorite moment." -Jessie

"I most enjoyed going to the Lincoln ball. It made me feel like I had gone back in time as I watched everyone, dressed in period costume, dance around the floor." -Emily

• "My favorite part was going to the Lincoln tomb and seeing the headstone where my favorite president lay." -Olivia


• "My favorite part was how the unity of all the people in Springfield that day was so astounding and how the appreciation of this great man created an atmoshpere of love and learning." -Rachel


• "For me, personally, one of the best parts of the trip was how during our free time, we saw about four men who we could tell were Lincoln impersonators but were out of costume." -Michelle


• "When we were at the ball, I decided to go through the museum again. I thought that was an amazing experience the second time around because I got to take time to reflect on the images and information more." -Brandon


• "My favorite part of the trip to Springfield was the concert celebrating Lincoln. It was great to see people giving tribute to him, and the singing of the certain songs captured the unity that Lincoln had always strived for." -Emma


• "The trip down to Springfield for President Lincoln's birthday is and always will be forever remembered." -Diego


• "The trip to Springfield was an all-around treat, but there were certain moments that most definitely stood out. The wreath-laying ceremony at Lincoln's tomb was exciting and yet somber. Witnessing all the veterans and meeting Gov. Quinn was definitely a highlight of the trip as well." -Noah


• "My favorite part was dancing at the ball." -Amelia

Everything Lincoln!

The purpose of the Lincoln Seminar class is to celebrate the bicenntennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, and celebrate we did! The class took a two-day trip down to Springfield, IL to take part in multiple forms of celebration.

One of the highlights on the evening of February 11th was going to the "Let Freedom Sing" concert in downtown Springfield. We all enjoyed the bell choirs, gospel chorsus, and the piping band. After the concert, we headed down to the vigil held at the Abraham Lincoln Museum.

On February 12th, Lincoln's birthday, we participated in many events. We went to the Illinois State Museum to view the new exhibit "From Humble Beginnings." Next, we went to the Lincoln Museum to participate in the nation-wide, record breaking reading of the Gettysburg Address, where we received free, snazzy t-shirts for proof.

Another highlight of the trip was visiting Lincoln's Tomb for the wreath-laying ceremony. We had a chance to meet the Illinois' new governor, Pat Quinn. The emotional ceremony included speeches and a lot of contact with the media.

After the ceremony, we boarded the bus to go back to downtown Springfield to break off into groups and explore all things Lincoln. Sprinkled throughout the area were displays, book discussions, and art exhibits. Local businesses also celebrated. There were even giant "cupcakes" made of popcorn and jelly bean portraits of our 16th president!

Other acivities included a tour of the Linclon home and a visit to the period ball at the Lincoln Museum. Overall, our experience was amazing, and it was a trip we will never forget.

Governor Quinn greetings Lincoln Seminar students at Lincoln's Tomb.

Governor Quinn arrived to lay a wreath at Lincoln's Tomb. The students posed for a photography with the new governor and listened to his remarks during the wreath laying ceremony. The also viewed an exhibit of customs related to State Funerals for dignitaries.

(Click on the play button to see Gov. Quinn's greeting to the students.)

The SMARTBoard - the new way of learning

This week in Lincoln Seminar, we got a chance to use to the SMARTBoard, which has become the newest in technology for teaching.

We learned how to create games for some of the lessons we are planning to do out in the community. The SMARTBoard will be useful when some of us plan to go out and work in elementary and junior high school later this term.

Obama: A New Frontier

With the Obama Inauguration well designed in our class schedule,
our class began a new age. With Barack Obama being Illinois' former senator, we watched in delight to see him glide across the steps and take the oath with Lincoln's Bible.

CBS stated that between 1.8 million to 2 million people were in attendance as this historic day was broadcast around the world. The Lincoln Seminar class watched intently to see what was going on in our nation's capital. Cheers were heard while the flow of tears could be seen in the eyes of some.

The Price Is Right- Money Simulation

During class this week, we had some interesting discussions, along with a visit from Mr. Busse. The topic of the week: Confederate money and the terrible inflation that occurred in the South. Just to express how awful the inflation got, a pair of shoes was valued at more than $600 and a winter jacket would run you around $1,200.

During Mr. Busse's talk, he told us about how the inflation process works. One way inflation occurs is when there is too much money in circulation, which makes the dollar worth less so the price goes up.

At the beginning of the week, we got a packet of Confederate money, which we found out was not the same throughout the South. For example, North Carolina had a different currency than Georgia, which often made trading and traveling difficult.

Throughout the week, we watched Gone With the Wind and had to face many of the challenges the Southerners had to face. One decision we had to make was whether or not to send our son into battle or to pay off someone to take his spot.

We got to choose from a different set of daughters, all of which had a little something written about them. Some of our daughters went to a ball and met the love of their lives, and some went to a ball and ended up marrying their cousins! Whether we paid $50 or $5 to the cause; all depended on if we were enthusiastic supporters of the Southern cause, or not.

At the end of the week, some of us had spent all of our money on necessities and lived day to day by buying food (such as cornbread, molasses, etc.) and some of us would have been millionaires--if the money would have been worth anything after the war.