Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Students of teacher Jenny Lail’s Civics and Economics Class at Polk County High School recently visited Columbus, capping off an educational unit on local government, history and civic involvement. 

 

Columbus Mayor and Polk County Historical Museum President Pat McCool, House of Flags Curator Robert Williamson and Courthouse Historian John Vining presented hands-on information to students about Polk County’s history and interesting facts about the oldest courthouse in western North Carolina. Students also enjoyed the visual display and guided tour of hundreds of flags, the Charters of Freedom exhibit and Veterans Park. 

 

“Such wonderful people volunteer their time and expertise to help our students learn and experience our town’s history,” Lail said. “The kids enjoyed getting out of the classroom and meeting these giving community members. Searching for loved ones memorial bricks at Veterans Park was a highlight.”

 

A class survey about the field trip showed the favorite experience among students was seeing the replicas of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights up close, and hearing about the unique findings hidden in the walls of the courthouse discovered over a century after its construction, during its renovation.

 

Submitted by Jenny Lail