Medina students create local history videos

The third-grade curriculum in the Medina City School District includes the study of local history. Amy Young, a third-grade teacher at Waite Elementary School, took that a step further this year by leading her class in creating a Medina History Hunt.

Small student groups recorded 30- to 60-second YouTube videos about what they learned on seven Medina historical topics. Posters with QR codes linking to each video are displayed at business locations around the Square through March. Medina History Hunt brochures were also distributed at the Ice Festival, the Medina County Student Art Show and at locations around the Square.

Young, a lifelong Medina resident, has been a teacher for 23 years. “I believe there are many lessons to be learned from our community’s past,” she said. “As historians, we can use storytelling to share those lessons. That approach evolved into creating videos and connecting them with QR codes.”

Beginning in September, the class discussed Medina’s history and created learning logs for seven events or locations. Small groups were formed based on interest, and students discussed how each topic could be linked to certain character traits.

A video about Medina’s fires highlighted grit and perseverance as the city rose from the ashes. Responsibility was shown in the way families preserved the historic Ferris-Dannley House. The early schools group saw them as examples of helpfulness, enabling children to learn. Students connected the Underground Railroad to bravery. The early settlers group discovered examples of humor. The Great Sleigh Ride demonstrated determination, and the first train in Medina was linked to hospitality.

Young invited local historian and author Gloria Brown to serve as a history consultant. Brown, author of “The Great Sleigh Ride” for young readers, answered students’ questions about that book and her recent Medina Weekly article on Medina’s early schools. She also met with small groups to hear what students were working on and offered suggestions.

The short videos were recorded on Young’s laptop as students stood against a green screen in the hallway outside their classroom. “They loved making the videos,” Young said. “They all want to be YouTube stars, so this was right up their alley.”

Young relied on the technical skills of her 15-year-old son to help edit the videos, post them to YouTube and create the QR code links. She then delivered laminated posters with the codes to businesses around the Square that agreed to display them, focusing on kid-friendly establishments.

The Medina County Historical Society contributed old photos and information to the project, and the video QR codes are also listed on its Facebook page.

Families can view the videos at participating locations around the Square: “The Great Sleigh Ride” at Cool Beans; “The First Train” at Courthouse Pizzeria; “Early Settlers” at Chill Ice Cream; “The Underground Railroad” at Lemonberry; “Early Schools” at All Fired Up!; “Ferris-Dannley House” at Something’s Popping; and “The Great Fires” at Off the Wagon Toys.

On Feb. 13, students and their parents gathered at Cool Beans to kick off the project before visiting participating locations to view the videos.

Young said she is pleased with the enthusiasm her class has shown. “Some students really got into history,” she said. “It was neat to see that my love was carrying over to them.”