Dist. 57 students resume tours of Mount Prospect landmarks

Second graders at Fairview and Lions Park schools in Mount Prospect District 57 have been able to venture out on their local history tours this spring.

The field trips, which were canceled due to the pandemic for the past couple years, are always popular with the district's young historians.

The students spend time at local historical sites, including the Mount Prospect Historical Society's one-room Central School, where they sit in the desks, write on slates and are transported back to the early 1900s. They also visit St. John Lutheran Church and Cemetery, where the Rev. Jeff Gavin gives a tour, and Capannari Ice Cream, formerly the Moehling General Store, where owner Katie Dix explains the significance of one of the oldest buildings in Mount Prospect.

Fairview second grade teacher Michele Logar and retired Lions Park teacher Julie Vowinkel worked with the Historical Society a few years ago to update and enhance District 57's second grade local history curriculum, which culminates with the field trip.

This year, Vowinkel and retired Lions Park teacher Tobey Black volunteered in the schoolhouse as docents, or "schoolmarms," for the District 57 kids.

"This is a really special community partnership," Logar says. "Everyone goes above and beyond to make the experience special for the kids."

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