Mahoning Valley Historical Society provides hands-on history lessons to students in area schools
The Mahoning Valley Historical Society has brought the past to life for more than a quarter of a century with its hands-on Suitcase and Speaking Presentation program across the valley.
Today, the organization continues to advance and elevate its mission, servicing more than 6,000 students.
The program is available for grades pre-K through 12th.
What does the program offer students?
It offers students an interactive and engaging look into past stories of their community.
“We call them suitcase programs because most of them were literally packed in a suitcase, and we take off to the school because we’re bringing sources, we’re bringing maps; we’re bringing images, we’re bringing artifacts; we’re bringing interactive things so that the students can get their hands into it and be interactive,” said Traci Manning, Curator of Education, Mahoning Valley Historical Society.
According to Manning, the program meets Ohio educational standards and offers an alternative teaching option for students with nine topics that range from indigenous cultures to industrial history.
“So often they are focusing on state history that might not have a huge local angle…so bringing it right from where they are from makes it much more tangible for them,” she said. You’re giving them something that they can hold onto. These people came before them in their community, so they can see the legacy that these folks have left behind, and maybe the legacy they can leave behind.”
Who leads the presentations?
Presentations are led by professional museum educators who pull from the organization’s nearly 150-year-old collection of primary sources and artifacts--all coming together to share the culture and life of people from different eras.
“One of the biggest things I try to do in storytelling finds a person and let those people speak,” Manning said. These students don’t need to hear my voice. They need to hear the voice of the people we’re talking about, so that’s where these primary sources are so important.”
Throughout its thirty-year run, the program continues to evolve, expanding topics of concentration and adding more research.
“I think some of the bigger changes have been how we teach, making it more interactive. We have an amazing collection here at the historical society; pulling from our primary sources using what we have in our collection and taking it to the students has been a great change that we’ve been able to offer these students,” she added, “We started with programs looking at our local Native American history and looking at the pioneers who settled this community. Now we’ve added programs about local industrial history, immigration history, the history of the underground railroad, the history of the civil war, the civil rights movement. We have all those stories here, locally.”
Their approach to teaching resonates with teachers, parents, caregivers, and students, who, according to Manning, they are inspired to continue their education beyond the classroom.
“I’ve had students who will come out and visit the museum independently,” Manning said. “They’re bringing their family to see us here because they loved what we did in the classroom. There’s some impact beyond what we’re doing in the classroom.”
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