Story of Our Schools Exhibit

On May 28, 2024, CHRS members and guests were treated to a terrific presentation by Jen Harris, executive director and founder, and Erin Roth, development director, of the Story of Our Schools. Harris and Roth described a project they recently completed at Eastern High School where students, teachers, alumni, and other community members created a permanent exhibit to celebrate the centennial of Eastern’s building on East Capitol Street. The presentation was recorded.

Eastern Students, 1965 Image: DC Public Library

On May 28, CHRS members were treated to a terrific presentation by Jen Harris, executive director and founder, and Erin Roth, development director, of the Story of Our Schools. Harris and Roth described a project they recently completed at Eastern High School where students, teachers, alumni, and other community members created a permanent exhibit to celebrate the centennial of Eastern’s building on East Capitol Street.

Led by Ellen Dodsworth, Eastern’s library and media specialist, students researched and documented the history of their school – 100 Years of Eastern High School – which is proudly displayed in the school’s main lobby, wrapping itself around the iconic alumni staircase. The space greets visitors with a visual timeline of the school’s history, which Harris and Roth briefly outlined during their talk.

The student research process featured guest speakers such as Kimberly Springle, executive director of Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, and Rodney Red Grant from Don’t Shoot Guns Shoot Cameras, who shared techniques for creating documentary films. The students also went on a field trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The display showcases three-dimensional artifacts which are presented in the case directly behind the staircase, and a digital archive that shows students’ films and photographs of life at Eastern. Eastern alumni played a large role in the research process – quotes from their oral histories became the voice of the final exhibit. The exhibition features a replica of a Woolworth’s diner counter in honor of Franklin McCain, a past Eastern student who participated in several sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement. The “counter” displays student activism at Eastern and provides a space where students can meet and engage with the exhibit content.

Since 2015, the Story of Our Schools has partnered with student groups at ten DC public schools to help them research the history of their schools and surrounding neighborhoods to create museum-quality exhibits to display in their school lobbies.

On Capitol Hill, they have partnered with Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan, Payne Elementary, and Eliot-Hine Middle School. As at Eastern, their research methods have included: hands-on research at local archives, oral history interviews with longtime residents, field trips to museums, historical walking tours around the neighborhood, and guest speakers.

Eastern High School is more than 100 years old, and new school stories are being created every day. The history shared in this presentation is a collaborative effort between Eastern High School, Eastern alumni, area residents, and local archives. An on-line exhibit is available.

Eastern High School is more than 100 years old, and new school stories are being created every day. The history shared in this presentation is a collaborative effort between Eastern High School, Eastern alumni, area residents, and local archives.

The Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) unanimously designated Eastern High School as a historic landmark on the DC Inventory of Historic Sites: Historic Eastern High School Landmark Nomination.

Eastern Students, Image: DC Public Library

Our CHRS Preservation Cafés are free to both CHRS members and non members.