It's a fair bet that many of those attending "The Nifty Fifty United States" program at Lincoln Elementary today didn't know that Minnesota has 10,000 lakes. Or that the first traffic light was installed in Cleveland, Ohio. Or that the first McDonald's restaurant opened in Illinois.
Those were among the nuggets about the 50 states shared with parents and friends during the culmination activity for the special education summer program, which is designed to help the 40 or so elementary students who are struggling to bridge the two-month gap between grades.
"We're going to take a trip all across the country," said Cheyenne Dallesandro, who oversees the elementary and middle school summer programs.
The elementary classes were taught by Beau Adkins, Christine Nofri, Lisa Coppola, Kathy Powers, Linda Regina and Nicole Mongin. They were assisted by several teaching assistants and teacher aides, most of whom work with the students during the school year. Students focused on a specific section of the United States and highlighted particular states in the program.
The program featured presentations entitled "On the Road Again," "Where Should I Go?," "The Great Midwest," "The Southeast Acrostic Poem," "Lincoln 5th Grade News Show" and ended with a rendition of "This Land is Your Land."
After the program, parents visited the classrooms to check out the other work students have done this summer.
Below are a few pictures from today's program. Click on the photo to enlarge it:
