Spirit Lake Students Become Model Citizens Class Learns About Its Community By Thinking Small

With Popsicle sticks, cardboard and construction paper, children at Spirit Lake Elementary School delivered a lesson on city history Wednesday.

For the past three weeks, the second- and third-graders in Kathy Gray’s classroom have been building a model of their city. Included are a miniature school, church, pawn shop, hair salon, grocery store and other businesses.

Each child created a building model, then went to the business and interviewed the owner. They presented the information in class Wednesday, while showing off their models.

“Getting to interview them” was Richelle William’s favorite part. She built the model of Spirit Lake Presbyterian Church. “I got to go to the church and I got to go up to the very top and look out.”

Aaron Manigold’s favorite part was building his model of Spirit Lake Taxidermy. “I think it was very cool and creative,” he said.

So did the business people and residents of the city. Visiting the classroom were police officers, the mayor and business owners.

“I think it’s wonderful. It’s getting kids more involved in the community,” said Jennifer Parker, an officer with the Spirit Lake Police Department.

To begin the project, the children walked through the town with their teacher and took pictures of all the buildings. Then they each chose a building and went back with their parents to interview the owners.

“We have recreated Spirit Lake right in the middle of our room,” Gray said. The model will be given to the city’s historical society for inclusion in a future museum. Gray said the goal of the project was to teach the children simultaneously about social studies and art.

The project was effective in teaching city history. The children learned that the building that houses Wee Care Children’s Center was once the high school. And that the Spirit Lake Hair Salon was once a movie theater and an opera house. They learned that the Hog-N-Jog Restaurant was built in 1977 and that the original owners passed it on to their daughter.

William Coute, owner of Shows To Go, a video rental store, said the children’s effort would further other people’s knowledge of their city. He said the effort that went into the model was impressive.

“It blew me away when I walked in and saw that on the floor,” he said.