Bristol-Warren Schools Celebrate Partnership With Coggeshall Museum

BRISTOL-WARREN, RI — Superintendent Ana Riley and the principals of the district's four elementary schools recognized Coggeshall Farm Museum for its partnership with the Bristol Warren Regional School District.

Grade 5 students across the district recently went on a field trip to the museum and took part in activities such as: "History Detectives," which involved using primary source documents to uncover the story of the slave trade in Rhode Island, "Exploring the Past and Present" to learn how shifting cultures affected the history of the Pokanoket tribe and "Living the Land" to understand the historic tools and farming methods used by tenant farmers in the area.

The program was developed by Bristol Warren Regional School District Assistant Superintendent Diane Sanna and Coggeshall Farm Museum grant writer Dyan Vaughan, and funded through the Town of Bristol/Roger Williams University Fund for Civic Activity.

The trip was facilitated by Katherine Blythe, Education Coordinator at Coggeshall and Catherine Zipf, of the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society. School officials said the trip enhanced classroom learning and understanding of Rhode Island's historical perspectives standards.

"Community partnerships enhance classroom learning in so many ways," school officials said in a joint statement. "Bristol Warren elementary school principals Deborah Kearns, Colt Andrews Elementary School; Tara McAuliffe, Rockwell Elementary School; Christine Hughes, Guiteras Elementary School; and Colin Grimsey, Hugh Cole Elementary School, on behalf of the entire district, thank their partners such as the Coggeshall Farm Museum for supporting the students of the Bristol Warren Regional School District."

To learn more about Coggeshall Farm, click here.