November 5, 2003
EJH throws great party
East Junior High students celebrate Gatsby Extravaganza
By
Herald staff writer
Stepping into the media center at Traverse City East Junior High last Friday was like taking a page from a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.
The school jazz band played swing classics while students danced the Charleston - all dressed in feathers and fringe.
More than 400 ninth-grade students wrapped up two weeks of studying the decade known as the Roaring '20s with a "Gatsby Extravaganza."
Prohibition, sports heroes, the gangster movement, popular fads, the birth of jazz and changes in women's roles in society were just a few of the topics students learned about in their American cultural studies class.
"This is just a fun way to wrap up the unit," said ACS teacher Nancy Jacobs.
"Students present biographical speeches and demonstrate things that they have learned about the era - including playing simple games with a piece of string and dancing the Charleston," Jacobs noted.
Literature written during and about the era as well as changes in American culture were studied to get a thorough view of the period.
"We talked about women's suffrage, the economic cycle and students read 'Inherit the Wind,'" Jacobs said.
Student Hannah Ciesla, dressed in period clothing - including a beaded top that belonged to her grandmother - spoke about the life of suffragette Jeanette Rankin.
"Her lifestyle was very different than ours today. I'm really glad I live now and not in the '20s, but it's been fun learning about her and dressing up," Ciesla said.
Dressed as Babe Ruth, fellow student Sean Fernandez echoed Ciesla's sentiment.
"It would have been fun to be famous like Babe Ruth, but I wouldn't want to live back then. We have it a lot easier today," Fernandez said.