Rudyard Area Schools Receives $15,000 Grant To Record History

The Michigan Humanities Council presents a $15,000 grant to the Rudyard Area Schools at Rudyard Township Hall Wednesday, August 27. Pictured (from left) are Nathan Bootz, Rudyard Area Schools superintendent; Jodi Cornwell, Rudyard Area School board; Herb Henderson, Rudyard Area School board president; Jan Fedewa, executive director of Michigan Humanities Council; Sheri Davie, assistant to U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow; Sean Fountain, author and Rudyard teacher, and Roger Srigley, assistant to U.S. Representative Bart Stupak. (Photograph courtesy of Michigan Humanities Council)

Rudyard students will write, illustrate, and provide photographs for beginning reader books focusing on local culture and history in a new project supported by a $15,000 grant from the Michigan Humanities Council. The money was presented Wednesday, August 27, at the Rudyard Town Hall to the Rudyard Historical Society and members of the Rudyard Area Schools board.

Local history and geography will serve as a focus for creating books that meet Michigan's curriculum requirements. Rudyard middle school students will create 300 books for beginning readers using people, places, and events that are meaningful to the local readers. The Rudyard high school photography class will take pictures of relevant places, people, and things. Local author Sean Fountain will also create a set of books focused on urban Michigan places, history, and people. Teachers will incorporate both sets of books into classroom learning. The books are scheduled to be completed by Novembe; an exhibit of the stories will be held as part of Rudyard elementary school's Fine Arts Night in December.

The awarding of the grant included presentations by the offices of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Senator Carl Levin, and U.S. Representative Bart Stupak. The Michigan Humanities Council is the state's independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.