East Orange student, teacher study history where it happened

An East Orange High School teacher and student got the chance to study history where it was made in Philadelphia.

Tracey Prince, a world history teacher at East Orange STEM Academy, and student Rouslene Folas, participated in the first-ever Young People’s Continental Congress created by the National History Day (NHD) organization.

NHD collaborated with Carpenter’s Hall, the home of the nation’s original Continental Congress, to produce a one-of-a-kind program for high school students, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress.

Fourteen teams of two comprised of high school students and teachers from each of the original 13 colonies, plus one team from Philadelphia, convened to explore our nation’s founding principles in their historical context and how they continue to impact our democracy.

The student/teacher teams explored Philadelphia during the week of July 15 through 20. It was a week of special programming with daily plenary sessions at Carpenters’ Hall and onsite field learning opportunities at sites such as the National Constitution Center, the Museum of American Revolution, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
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“I loved every thing,” said Prince. “I love Philly. I wish more schools had the opportunity to experience Philadelphia. We’ve had more extensive trips to Independence Hall and Carpenter’s Hall. The second level is a library. You are looking at books from the eighteenth century, lined against the hall. It just feels like you’re getting a sneak peek of history. The Constitution Center is phenomenal.”

Watching the kids participate in engaging activities and seeing their knowledge on history, made Prince, as an educator, feel “hopeful for the future.”

Prince also praised the Museum of American Revolution.

“I’ve been to that museum before with my students,” she said. “You get to see, every step of the way, how the Revolution was fought.”

A teacher for the past 18 years, Prince said she loves watching her students grow. And when she found out she was going to be representing the state of New Jersey at this event and had to choose one student, Rouslene was “the only one who came to mind.”

The 13-year-old high school student came to East Orange, from Cameroon, Africa, when she was just 5- or 6-years-old, according to Prince. “I didn’t realize how young she was,” said Prince. “She was 8 years old in the sixth grade. She skipped third and fourth grades.

There’s a practice in American schools, students come from other countries, they want to hold them back a year. Not the case with Rouslene. She speaks three or four languages. She’s just very well versed. Her experiences are what make her the student she is today. She has younger siblings, trying to follow in her footsteps. She set the bar high.”

Nevertheless, Rouslene was very surprised to be chosen to accompany Prince on the trip.

“It’s an honor,” she said. “This is an amazing opportunity to learn more about history. The pavements and streets, you can feel the history.”

Rouslene’s personal favorite part of the trip was the Constitution Center.

“We were able to go on our own, see artifacts and toys from kids from the past,” she said. “The way people were living their daily life.”

Being teamed up with her teacher, Rouslene said she felt it “definitely brought us closer.”

“She can give me a fresh perspective,” said Rouslene. “I’m part of the newer generation and give perspective of younger people.”

What prepared Rouslene for this event was having teachers who were passionate about history.

“One [a teacher] took us to museums. I’ve been to Philadelphia before,” she said.

Rouslene likes going to museums because she feels “reading textbooks doesn’t give you proper understanding.”

While she feels the Internet is more diverse than a textbook, she says there’s a lot of propaganda.

“It’s not the most reliable source,” she said. “You have to be careful. It’s better to see things. It’s a proper and reliable source.”

Currently studying data analysis, she hopes to travel to her home country in Africa and visit more museums.

“I do have a lot of plans and goals. You only live once,” she said.

To learn more about National History Day, visit: https://nhd.org/en/.

  east orange, National History Day