History Club visits Chicago History Museum

2014 history_club_museum_trip

Eight History Club members, under the direction of social studies teacher and club moderator, Mark Clarke, traveled to the Chicago History Museum recently. JCA’s History Club is open to students who love history and enjoy learning about topics in depth.

The purpose of the trip was to view the 1968 exhibition.

Club members attending included:  Karlyn Budz, Val DiPietro, Tom Hilke, Nick Konopek, Faith Krumviede, Nathan Medina, Annie Payne, and Matt Vonch. JCA parent, Bob DiPietro, assisted Clarke in chaperoning the trip.

The group left JCA and traveled to Egg Harbor Café in Hinsdale, starting the day off on the right foot with a good, healthy breakfast. Upon their arrival in Chicago, they realized they were a few minutes early so they stopped at Starbucks for some hot beverages to keep them warm from the cold, bitter Chicago wind.

Upon entry into the museum, the group divided into partners and completed a scavenger hunt designed by Clarke. Each team was given a list with 68 questions regarding the 1968 era and two hours to complete the hunt.

First place went to Payne and DiPietro who received a $25 Portillo’s gift card. Coming in second were Hilke and Vonch, recipients of a $10 Starbucks card.

The group viewed many items from 1968 and noted the following as some of the most interesting and memorable:  civil right movement, death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Apollo 13 reaching the moon, Green Bay Packers in the Superbowl, Mexico City Olympics black glove protest, Boeing 747 introduced, Chicago Democratic convention, Miss America protests, first Black Miss America, and republican Richard Nixon’s campaign and election to President of the United States.

The group also enjoyed the museum’s music trivia section where they viewed album covers and noted groups from 1968 which included the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Monkees.

In preparation for the trip, club members completed four projects, two timelines and two presentations. The presentations were on the 10,000 aircraft lost during the Vietnam War and the assassination of Martin Luther King.

When asked why the students participated Payne said, “To learn more about history.” Krumviede stated, “History is awesome,” followed by DiPietro “Our history teachers inspire us to learn more.” Budz commented, “We are looking forward to our next trip.”

In April, JCA’s History Club will visit The Cantigny War Museum located in Wheaton.


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