Education and the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Hey Guys! Amber and Stefan here! 

Niles High School, the site of our first encounter with the
Niles school system and its educators 

This semester we are working with the educational community in Niles to see what potential overlap in interests they may have with the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project. We are defining this community as those who are local educators in the Niles public school system, the tech school, and the surrounding areas. We are hoping to reach out to those who have also worked with the project in the past, especially educators and students who have participated in tours and digs, or visited the museum.  As potential partners, the educational community and the Project have the potential for considerable overlap in shared interests. The field of anthropology has been interested in education for themselves as well as the education of others. So far, the project has hosted field schools for the community to participate in, hosting an open house, and holding public lectures open to the community. As scholars and anthropologists, we are concerned with obtaining, researching, and sharing information. This is an area where the educational community in Niles might also be interested. We would like to involve those who are interested as much as possible, in order for everyone to fully benefit from an engaged and helpful learning partnership.

An archaeological field school student exchanging information
with a young re-enactor

                  We have reached out to several educators within the Niles community already! We are excited to meet with educators as soon as possible. We traveled to Niles on March 14^th to meet with Brad, a Niles High School teacher who is very excited and enthusiastic about the project. We discussed ways in which we can incorporate his students into the project for the benefit of both groups. We can see how the project can be a unique opportunity for students to earn volunteer hours required for graduation, or using their technical skills for the project. Niles High School hosts the Career Technical Education classes for most of the county. Here they have the resources and opportunities to learn about building trades, agriculture, and graphic design.

                  We may be able to partner with the schools to provide new ways for students to learn about their historic community, or to collaborate on future class projects with the students in Niles. As we move forward with this project we are looking forward to working with members in the educational community for our mutual benefit.