Students trace old school's past

Edgerton Elementary first-graders opened the portal to a time machine during a field trip Tuesday and Wednesday at the Museum at Central School in Kalispell.

A main focus of the trip was to learn about the concepts of history, timelines and museums. Students also learned about surviving Montana winters in the past with the basic necessities of food, shelter, clothing while looking at museum exhibits.

Students have been learning about timelines and research in the classroom.

On Wednesday, Edgerton teacher Katie Armstrong’s first-graders took a look at the building outside before going inside, where they met museum volunteer Sally Hash-Savage in front of an old black-and-white photo of Central School.

Hash-Savage asked the first-graders what they noticed in the photo from a then-and-now perspective. One girl noticed right away the photo was black and white.

“Now was everything black and white then?” Hash-Savage asked with a mix of “yes” and “no” replies and one student mentioning black-and-white TV’s.

“Just the pictures or everything?” Hash-Savage asked.

“Just the pictures,” students said in unison.

When Hash-Savage asked them what else they noticed was different from the picture to what the area looks like today, many hands raised in the air. Students pointed out the absence of parking lots and trees. Hash-Savage also pointed out clapboard houses located by the former school.

“Let’s look at the changes through a timeline. If we go back way back to 1894 we’re noticing that the building was built and the next year children came,” she said and counted off the grades housed in the building from first through 11th, much to the children’s astonishment.

Hash-Savage propped up cards representing major changes at the school by year until she reached 1999, when it became a museum. While some people thought the building should be torn down when it was empty in 1990, there were many who saw the historical value, according to Hash-Savage.

“There is a lot of wisdom in this building. It can tell lots of stories. It can tell lots of pieces of histories about our relatives and people who lived here,” Hash-Savage said.

Upstairs, a group of students sat in the Swanberg Classroom where another timeline was displayed. This timeline was about their school’s namesake, Sidney Edgerton. The classroom was also the location of a time machine.

Museum volunteer Sandy Streit pointed out how the timeline marked the beginning and end of Edgerton’s life.

“Everyone has a timeline. Your timeline began when you were born,” Streit said.

A little later, it was time to open the time machine. Streit pointed to a loudly ticking 1990s Regulator clock on the wall.

“It’s a different kind of clock. It’s a time machine,” Streit said. “I came up here for a long time and tried to use it and it didn’t work for me. I found out someone your size can do it,” Streit said.

To open the time machine, first-grader Henry Cramer knocked three times beneath the clock. Then museum Executive Director Gil Jordan appeared from around a corner as Sidney Edgerton and shared a little bit of history about the first territorial governor of Montana.

Although Edgerton had to eventually travel back to the past, students were told they could open a time machine not only by visiting a museum, but also at the library.

“You know you can visit a time machine in your library,” Streit said. “If you open a book in your library in the biography section you can learn about all kinds of people who lived in the past.”

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.