Professional storytellers Lorna MacDonald Czarnota and Merri Lee Debany delivered a dramatic performance capturing the history of the Civil War during a recent Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Honors Program event for eighth graders.
“They portrayed two women who disguised themselves as men – one Confederate and one Union – to fight as soldiers,” Herkimer BOCES Honors Program Coordinator Deborah Schoff said. “Through letters home, monologues and music, they gave a moving presentation of the Civil War from their perspective.”
Eighth graders from Central Valley, Dolgeville, Frankfort-Schuyler, Herkimer, Little Falls, Poland and West Canada Valley attended the “Letters Home” Herkimer BOCES Honors Program workshop on Monday, March 23, at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center.
“Participants worked in small groups with Czarnota and Debany to develop written and verbal presentations of their own, connecting to the many ways in which this conflict affected every facet of American society, then and now,” Schoff said.
The Herkimer BOCES Honors Program is open to students in Herkimer BOCES component school districts and is designed to support the potential of students in grades 3-12 who have above average interests and abilities in a particular area. Programs allow for interaction with like-minded peers. Students learn by engaging in educational activities with presenters who are noted in their field. Exploration and programs provide for different learning styles and include topics in the arts and sciences as well as literature and history. Ongoing evaluation of all programs by teachers and students assures their relevance and quality.
Professional storytellers Lorna MacDonald Czarnota and Merri Lee Debany give a performance about the Civil War during a Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Honors Program event for eighth graders on Monday, March 23, at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center.
Local eighth graders present about the Civil War in front of other eighth graders during a Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Honors Program event on Monday, March 23, at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center.
Professional storytellers Lorna MacDonald Czarnota and Merri Lee Debany pose together after giving a performance about the Civil War during a Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Honors Program event for eighth graders on Monday, March 23, at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center.
