BY JESSICA STEELEY
Clarkston News Staff Writer

Second graders around the district are learning about Clarkston’s local history through a locally written textbook and presentations from Clarkston Historical Society Education Chairperson Kim Huttenlocher.
“Our primary mission is education through the historical society, so, talking to this generation is what’s going to keep the history alive in town,” Huttenlocher said.
Students listened to and interacted with Huttenlocher as she told them about Clarkston’s history and used pictured blocks to show them the difference between historical and present-day Clarkston.
“This is the sixth out of seven elementary schools that I’ve been in this week, so I’ve covered, I would say, pretty much all the second graders in the district,” Huttenlocher said. “The more we can cover, the better I think it is for the kids to grow up here with a sense of knowing this place has a past, that it’s an important past and we can learn from that past in how we move forward.”
Clarkston Elementary second graders were particularly interested in the presentation, asking many questions at the end, showing their desire for historical knowledge.
Around the district, second graders are learning from a textbook on local history, written by Huttenlocher and three Clarkston teachers over 20 years ago.
“Because they study local history at this time of year, this is where we come in and build on what they’re already learning in their textbooks,” she said. “The program that I go through is more hands-on, kind of really immerses them in what they’re learning in the textbook.”