Levey Day School in Portland Learns about
Lighthouses of Casco Bay
How will the lightkeepers of tomorrow know and understand
the importance of saving lighthouses once present day preservationists
are ready to pass the baton of responsibility to the next generation?
The answer lies in our collective ability to share the lighthouse
message with the youth of today while we simultaneously work to save
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
(L to R) Jeremy D'Entremont and Bob
Trapani talk with students from the Levey Day School about the
lighthouses of Casco Bay
lighthouses. By
cultivating an exciting interest in the minds of students when it comes to
lighthouse preservation, the hope is that a handful of young people will
carry our passion forward as they grow older and eventually become “keepers”
themselves when the time comes for them to assume the watch.
One group of students who recently showed an enthusiasm for learning about
lighthouses was from the Levey Day School in Portland. On May 18, 2006 the
American Lighthouse Foundation presented a program on the lighthouses of
Casco Bay and ALF’s lighthouse preservation work to a class of first and
second graders and their teacher Elizabeth Burdick at the Levey Day School.
As ALF presenters Jeremy D’Entremont and Bob Trapani prepared to talk with
the students, Ms. Burdick alerted the duo to the fact that her
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Students observe Bob Trapani demonstrate
how a prism lens concentrates light
students were
very history oriented despite their young age. D’Entremont and Trapani
quickly learned during the presentation that Ms. Burdick’s statement was
right on the mark as the children asked some very good questions that
many adults would have been hard-pressed to pose.
“Most students enjoy the opportunity to view pictures of lighthouses and
hear about things like storms and shipwrecks, but I was totally amazed at
the historical insight the students from Levey Day School possessed,” said
American Lighthouse Foundation executive director Bob Trapani, Jr. “The
class not only understood the importance of lighthouses to ships and the
maritime community, but they also posed some very good technical and
structural questions as well in an effort to obtain a deeper understanding.
One student asked such a good question at some point during our presentation
that Jeremy and I actually had to admit we didn’t know the answer. That was
pretty cool.”
Once the PowerPoint aspect of the lighthouse presentation was finished,
students were provided a hands-on opportunity to discover how a prism
lens bends and refracts light to produce a stronger beam.
By using a small electric lamp, the students watched the lens transform
the light into a vertical pencil-like beam. In addition, Jeremy
D’Entremont shared with the class some of the better books on
lighthouses geared toward children that teach about the lights, but also
stories about animals at lighthouses and heroes and heroines such as
Abbie Burgess at Matinicus Rock Lighthouse.
“I always enjoy getting out into schools to discuss
lighthouses, and I was especially impressed by the bright group of kids
at the Levey Day School,” said ALF historian and board of director
Jeremy
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Students enjoy moving the light around
the center of the lens and watching the results magnified
D’Entremont. “They
were attentive and respectful, and their questions were interesting and
thoughtful. I hope they got a sense of how important lighthouses were in the
history of Casco Bay. Those of us who are getting older need to keep
spreading the word to the younger generation, because they're the
preservationists of tomorrow. I'm greatly encouraged when I meet kids like
these, and hopefully we "lit the lighthouse flame" in some of them.”
