BRAM and BRMS Receives State Historical Award

 

The Award of Excellence was awarded to the Black River Academy Museum in the category of Educational Outreach for "Ellen's Journey'. Presented by The Vermont Historical Society, Ellen's Journey is a play based on the book 'Pieced from Ellen's Quilt' by Linda Otto Lipsett, which tells the true story of Ellen Spaulding Reed of Ludlow, Vt., who moves West with her husband in the late 1800's.

 

The play featured members of the Black River Middle School (BRMS) under the direction of Stephanie Rowe of Springfield, VT. This is a story of love and hardship, of a girl leaving her family and facting hard times in the West. Students involved in this production were: Jesse Gillette, Noah Schmidt, Newton Rose, Alyssa Collins, Lucy Gagner, Rachel Karner, Rachel Broza, Eva Daily and Hunter Hup. Susan Pollander, Middle School Social Studies teacher, assisted in providing support for the students along with Linda Tucker.

 

As part of the motif for the production, the eighth grade class at  BRMS, with the guidance and expertise of Sylvia Fairbanks of The Cook's Cupboard in Ludlow, designed and prepared a quilt that contained the names of the 8th grade students.

From left to right, rear row, they are Georgia Brehm, BRAM Director, Jesse Gillette, Newton Rose, Hunter Hupp, Rachel Brzoza, and Susan Pollender, BRMS social studies teacher.  In the front row are Lucy Gagner, Rachel Karner, Noah Schmidt, and Alyssa Collins.  Not available for the photo were student Eva Dailey, BRMS teacher Anne Gardner, Stepanie Rowe, play director, and Linda Tucker, BRAM assistant.