Somers Students Learn Town History

According to the town of Somers web site, more than three centuries ago Benjamin Jones settled the town of East Enfield with peers Edward Kibbe, James Pease, Timothy Roote and John McGregory following seven years later.

Longing to be on their own, the General Court of Massachussetts granted the settlers request and in 1734 the town of Somers was incorporated and named for Lord John Somers of England.

By 1749, Somers had separated from Massachusetts and was annexed to Connecticut.

This brief history of their community is just a snippet of what third graders at learn each year.

The third grade Social Studies curriculum includes the study of communities. The students study Somers history as part of that unit.

"Each year we would read from historical books about Somers and see a teacher-made power point presentation of many historic buildings that were built near or at the crossroads in Somers center," Kathy Mangini, a third grade teacher, said.

The crossroads are Main Street (Route 190) and South Road and Springfield Road (Route 83).

To bring history to life, each year third graders are given a map and, along with their teachers, walk Main Street and talk about the history of many of the historic building and homes. On Wednesday, five third grade classes, roughly 100 students, took their walking tour of Somers and ended the trip at the Somers Public Library, where many they received new library cards.

Earlier this year, the students created historic articles on the computer that were the result of research they did on a person, place or event in Somers history. 

Mangini said that in the past several years, students also took pictures around town and wrote about their favorite place in Somers and created books for the school library.

Normally the third grade does this trip in the spring, but this year because it started a technology project early, and thus started their research earlier, the class ended up walking in December instead of May.

"It went well, but it was freezing," Mangini said. "They retained a lot of what they had learned from their research so when we were talking to them, I was happy to hear that they had retained it. They had a great time."

Mangini feels that it is important that the children learn about the history of the town in which they live.

"They live here and even their parents don't know the history of the town, so if we start with the children, the children teach their families about it," she said. "Then they can go to the museum and go by these buildings and know why different streets are named the way they are. The Kibbes and the Peases and the Averys, they were all our ancestors here, the residents here. They're our origins and origin is part of our curriculum that we do need to teach."

"It's nice to know your roots when you come in a small town. There's 300 years of history here. When you walk by a plaque you should realize how this used to be East Enfield and now it's Somers and why it's called Somers and who it's named after and all that. They all know that. It's very cool," she continued.

Mangini said she learned a lot when she started doing this and parents who go on the trip learn as much as the students.

"Parents every year when they join us say, 'I learned so much, I'm so glad I came,'" she said.

The students learn a little about the history of some of the buildings in town and what life was like in town in the olden days.

"They learn about the architecture of the building a little bit – for an eight-year old point of view," Mangini said. "I point out things like the granite steps or the eyebrow windows or the palladium window, those kinds of things. How it was a one-story building and later on they added on. They learn that the stagecoach used to stop at the Somers Inn and the trolley would run from here to Enfield, things they don't know about and how life was so different then."

The students ended the tour at the where they got library cards if they didn't already have one, checked out a book to take home and listened to children's librarian Marie Stromwall read a story.

Mangini felt that this was a good opportunity to get the students a library card and see the new children's library because many of them haven't been to the new facility. The children's library was moved to Kibbe Fuller and was then moved back a year ago October.

According to Mangini, the idea to end the trip at the library came out of the reading initiative at the school.

"The kids are reading more and more just-right books and they have to keep four books in their bag at all times and they're flying through books," she said. "We started talking about the public library and how close it is and some kids didn't have library cards so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take them to the library, get a library card and utilize a public service that's right here. It's so close and once they all have one, I can just walk my class over here – I don't need a field trip slip for that. Now they all have one."

She said that roughly 15 percent of the students in her class did not have a library card. One student had lost his library card so he got a replacement card on this trip.

"It's good that we did this," she said. "Now they all will hopefully encourage their families to come utilize the library. Everybody had the opportunity to get a library card, we didn't make them get one. Everyone in my room has one now."

The students now have a better understanding of the history of the town and also new library cards that will enhance their literacy.