Published: September 28, 2009 11:00 pm      

Taking in history

Gen. Tommy Franks Road Show and Classroom visits Empire School

EMPIRE — EMPIRE — Gen. Tommy Franks has been a heavily decorated officer in the U.S. Army. But for the students at Empire, Franks is a liaison between Oklahoma and the rest of the world.

The Gen. Tommy Franks Road Show and Classroom from the Hobart museum of the same name, arrived Monday at Empire School. The seventh- and eighth-grade students walked through the traveling museum, which featured items from Middle Eastern countries.

Jennifer Giles, sixth-grade social studies teacher, said, “In sixth-grade, we study ancient civilization. We’ve been studying Mesopotamia, which is the Afghanistan and Iraq area.

“It fits right in.”

Before Giles’ students walked through the museum, they spent time researching Franks. That research got the students ready to walk through the museum, which featured items from wooden pillows to ancient windows to traditional clothing.

Giles said the museum was a good way for the kids to learn about other cultures because they get to see items from other cultures, instead of only hearing about them.

“They were real excited,” Giles said.

Jodi Roberts, Empire High School principal, said she thought the mobile museum’s visit was a beneficial thing because it takes another approach to education.

“We’re really excited about this wonderful educational opportunity,” Roberts said.

The students were given guided tours through the museum. Giles’ students were given a list of questions they had to have answered by the end of their walk-through.

Both Giles and Roberts said they learned quite a bit when they went through the museum. But it was the students who might have gotten the most out of the visit.

Many of the students said they saw many items they thought were neat. For instance, Keiler Eakes saw a sword during his trip through the traveling museum.

Other students said they were able to learn about different cultures.

Jonathan Gomez said he learned about how other children live around the world.

“I learned about how other kids grew up, how they slept,” Jonathan said.

Holden Bailey said he learned about traditional clothes in Middle Eastern countries.

“I learned how they dressed in Saudi Arabia and places like that,” Holden said.

William Roy and Lane Williams said they were fascinated by the various items they saw.

“I learned what the weapons were used for and what they used for weapons,” Lane said.