Students Step Back in Time for Colonial Day [IMAGE GALLERY]

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

On Friday May 4, the hallways of the looked a little out of the ordinary. The boys and girls, who would normally be wearing jeans and colorful clothing with modern slogans, traded in their normal attire for long frilly dresses, bonnets, knickers and tri-corner hats to celebrate Colonial Day.  

“Colonial Day has been a tradition in the since my children attended, and I remember helping with my son Craig's Colonial Day and he just turned 32,” said Janet Golden, the fifth grade social studies teacher for the Aloha Frogs team. “The day ties in with our social studies curriculum because the children just finished studying Williamsburg and were able to study the life of the colonists. Now they get to actually see how time-consuming a day was for the colonists, and how it took patience and perseverance to make needed supplies.”

The students enjoyed a full day of colonial activities, thanks to the efforts of nearly 100 parent volunteers who began planning the event shortly after the school year started. Colonial Day Co-Chair Seema Basu told Westborough Patch, “We have been planning Colonial Day all school year! We started planning in September. We recruited chairs for all the activities, fixed the date for Colonial Day and booked the performers - all in 2011!”

Students visited the gymnasium to play games from America’s colonial era, including hoops, the graces, clothespin drop, jump rope, hopscotch and musical chairs. 

Classrooms transformed into colonial style workshops where boys and girls tried their hand at tin punching, toy making, candle making and writing letters with quill pen and sealing them with an authentic wax seal.

Three performances contributed to the colonial feeling of the day. A fife
and drum demonstration wowed students in the chorus room, where they would ordinarily be the ones making the music. Historical performer David Coffin captivated students in the auditorium with his Life at Sea program. Students were delighted with his harpoon, and his adventure tales that transported the children, as his crew, back to 18th century Nantucket.

The staff and students alike were enthralled with Strong Eagle, who delivered a thoughtful presentation about nature and life, and also played many of his handcrafted flutes.

“I think the students enjoyed all the performances and all the activities. It was absolutely well worth it as the kids enjoyed it and the teachers appreciated it,” said Basu, who described Colonial Day as “busy, fun, successful and rewarding.”  

Her co-chair, Jen Mascarelli, added that student favorites were tin punch and candle making. Golden agreed, “It allows them to take home something that they actually made.”

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on the latest Westborough news, or simply hit the "like" button at the top of this page. If you'd like to receive the Westborough Patch newsletter with our top stories, click here.