Local students will be taking an active role in preserving history, as students from all seven elementary schools are taking part in a Math-A-Thon to raise money for the Howarth School project.
Township trustee Matthew Gibb, along with his mother, came up with the idea involving students as part of the fundraising efforts to restore and move the old schoolhouse.
‘My mother and I suggested that instead of just the township restoring Howarth, why don’t we get the school kids involved?? Gibb said.
Participating students will be given a booklet of math problems and two weeks to complete the problems and get pledges for their efforts. The general kickoff for the project is Thursday.
‘It’s not so much ‘I raised the money,? but ‘I helped save the schoolhouse,?? Gibb said. ‘The kids will always have the ownership that they helped make this happen.?
The Howarth School, which was built in 1859 and used as a one-room schoolhouse in Orion Township for close to a hundred years, is located at Silverbell and Bald Mountain Roads. It is the last remaining one-room schoolhouse in Orion Township.
Blanche Sims, whom one of the Lake Orion elementary schools is named after, was among the teachers that taught there.
The project to save the schoolhouse, which is under the direction of the Orion Historical Society, has been ongoing since last June. Two archeological digs have been completed on site, turning up artifacts that directly relate to the time frame in which the building was used as a school.
Among the items found were an intact slate pencil, pieces of slate board, an 1876 Mercury Head dime, old buttons, an unfired lead bullet and an old horseshoe.
Through partnerships with the Orion Township Public Library and Upland Hills School, students were able to take part in the dig, gaining active experiences in preserving history.
‘This project was tailor-made for kids,? Orion Historical Society member Leslie Pielack. ‘What better way to learn about our local history than to actually touch the past??
Along with the educational experiences of the dig and the Math-A-Thon, once the school is moved and restored, it will be a place for local school children to visit and learn more about local history.
‘It will be our own little jewel,? Gibb said. ‘We are investing the minds of these kids into preserving history.?
For more details on the Howarth School project, call Pielack at (248)693-6718.