Katie McPartlin’s presentation on the Curse of the Great Bambino, as part of the John W. Rogers Middle School #MassachusettsFacts project. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools) 
Regan Glennon’s presentation on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, as part of the John W. Rogers Middle School #MassachusettsFacts project. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools) 
Jacob Asplund’s presentation on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, as part of the John W. Rogers Middle School #MassachusettsFacts project. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools) 
Lily O’Connell’s presentation on the invention of the chocolate chip cookie, as part of the John W. Rogers Middle School #MassachusettsFacts project. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools) 
Megan Joyce’s presentation on the Great Molasses Flood, as part of the John W. Rogers Middle School #MassachusettsFacts project. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools) 
Kailani Farrell’s presentation on the Bridgewater Triangle, as part of the John W. Rogers Middle School #MassachusettsFacts project. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools)
ROCKLAND — Superintendent of Schools Alan Cron and Principal Beth Bohn are pleased to announce that students at Rockland’s John W. Rogers Middle School recently completed projects pertaining to different parts of Massachusetts history.
Students in Jacqui Gervais and Ryan Austin’s seventh grade English classes worked hard on the #MassachusettsFacts project during the month of May. As part of the project, students chose a topic related to Massachusetts, found and analyzed credible sources online and wrote research-based responses.
Topics included the Curse of the Great Bambino, the history of Dunkin’ Donuts, the Bridgewater Triangle, the Salem Witch Trials, the Lizzie Borden case, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist and many more.
After writing their research, students designed informative displays, where they featured facts about their topic in the windows of their homes so that Rockland residents could learn about the topics when strolling their neighborhoods.
Displaying the projects in this way was inspired by eighth grade social studies teachers Melissa Harris and Kirsten Bartoloni, whose students made displays on historical figures that were featured around town as well.
“Distancing does not mean disengaging from learning,” Gervais said. “This research project was the perfect opportunity to blend learning with community engagement.”
The teachers also welcomed a local author and Rockland High School graduate, Rich Little, to a three-part video conference interview series about a popular topic — the Lizzie Borden case — where students were able to submit questions in advance of the interview. Little is an expert on the Lizzie Borden case and his book, “Cold Case to Case Closed, Lizbeth Borden, My Story,” is a best-seller at the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River. He was also recently featured on Buzzfeed Unsolved.
“Congrats to our seventh grade students on their dedication to these projects,” Principal Bohn said. “Remote learning has been a transition for all of us, but our entire student body has taken it in stride and should be very proud of the hard work they have put in over these past several months.”
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